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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/rome01sewe 


IbistorE  tor  looting  iRea&ers 


ROME 


HISTORY  FOR  YOUNG  READERS 


ROME 


BY 

E.  M.  SEWELL 


AUTHOR  OF  AMY  HERBERT, 
HISTORY  OK  GREECE,  ETC- 


NEW  YORK 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 
1898 


Authorized  Edition. 


PREFACE 

TO  THE  AMERICAN  EDITION. 


The  solicitude,  so  generally  disclosed,  to  make 
every  department  of  knowledge  accessible  to  the 
young  by  means  of  works  adapted  to  their  intellec- 
tual capacity  and  progress,  is  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable characteristics  of  the  present  age.  The 
men  are  now  living,  who  can  recollect  the  period 
when  instruction  in  our  best  schools,  limited  to  two 
or  three  indispensable  studies,  was  conveyed 
through  the  medium  of  text-books  which  were 
scarcely  intelligible  even  to  the  teacher;  much  less 
to  the  pupil  committed  to  his  care:  when  works  of 
general  information,  fitted  to  instruct  as  well  as 
amuse  the  juvenile  mind,  written  for  its  use  and  ad- 
justed to  its  powers,  would  have  been  sought  for 
in  vain:  when,  in  fact,  the  best  reading  of  all  who 
were  short  of  the  age  of  puberty,  comprised  little 
except  absurd  and  incredible  tales  of  enchantment 
and  magic. 

Now,  what  4 change!  Not  only  has  the  prin- 
ciple of  adaptation  to  the  intellectual  development 
of  the  young  been  recognised,  and,  with  nearly 
mathematical  precision,  applied  in  our  schools,  but 
numerous  additional  studies,  acknowledged  to  be 
important,  have  been  successfully  introduced,  and 
the  means  of  pursuing  them  amply  provided;  and, 


VI 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


instead  of  the  wretched  compilations  from  an  age 
of  barbarism  and  superstition,  in  which  the  young 
formerly  found  their  entertainment  at  the  fireside, 
we  have  teeming  libraries,  rich  in  the  various  treas- 
ures of  science,  of  literature,  and  of  art:  including 
works  in  every  branch  of  knowledge,  written  ex- 
pressly for  them,  and,  in  the  main,  admirably  fitted, 
at  the  same  time,  to  gratify  and  excite  thirst  for  in- 
formation in  their  tender  minds. 

The  best  things,  however,  are  liable  to  abuse; 
the  noblest  ideas  are  ever  in  most  danger  of  being 
pushed  to  extremes;  and  the  prevailing  anxiety, 
daily  augmenting,  to  secure  suitable  and  sufficient 
intellectual  food  for  the  young,  has  been  produc- 
tive of  some  consequences,  which  cannot  be  con- 
templated by  the  judicious  with  unmixed  pleasure: 
hardly  without  regret. 

One  of  these  may  be  observed  in  numerous  at- 
tempts made  of  late,  to  bring  certain  subjects  of 
an  abstract  and  profound  nature  within  the  circle  of 
studies  appropriate  to  the  young;  as  if  it  were  de- 
sirable, even  if  it  were  possible,  to  pursue  such  sub- 
jects during  a period  of  life  scarcely  long  enough  to 
master  those  which  are  on  a level  with  their  powers, 
and  practically  more  important  to  their  success  in 
life.  Yet  the  advocates  and  patrons  of  the  intro- 
duction of  such  studies  are  not  few;  nor  have  their 
exertions  been  wholly  without  success:  with  what 
unhappy  results,  time  ultimately  will  show.  In  our 
opinion,  this  crowding  and  tasking  the  immature 
mind  with  the  contents  of  encyclopedias,  is  scarcely 
less  to  be  deplored,  than  the  defective  instruction  of 
a former  day. 

Another  consequence  of  the  present  temper  of 
the  public,  is  a flood  of  fictitious  works  designed 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


Vll 


for  the  perusal  of  the  young.  In  these  works,  a 
series  of  imaginary  facts  is  made  a vehicle  to  con- 
vey moral  and  religious  information.  Such  facts, 
of  course,  beyond  their  immediate  use,  possess  no 
value;  and  it  may  be  seriously  questioned,  whether 
the  lessons  they  convey,  wanting,  as  they  do,  the 
authority  which  real  facts  impart,  possess  more. 
Be  this  as  it  may,  all  must  admit  that  these  lessons 
make  but  a slight  impression  on  the  feelings  and 
memory  in  comparison  with  the  interest  awakened 
by  the  incidents  of  the  story  and  its  progress  to  the 
catastrophe;  while  the  distaste  thus  engendered  for 
less  exciting  though  infinitely  more  useful  reading, 
is  a positive  injury  for  which  they  offer  no  equiva- 
lent or  compensation  whatever. 

In  the  following  work  by  the  accomplished  Miss 
Sewell,  both  of  the  extremes  referred  to,  are 
shunned.  Her  subject  is  neither  profound  nor 
feigned.  History  is  the  narration  of  real  events 
in  the  order  and  circumstances  in  which  they  oc- 
curred; and  of  all  histories,  that  of  Rome  com- 
prises a series  of  events  more  interesting  and  in- 
structive, to  youthful  readers,  than  any  other  that 
has  ever  been  written. 

Of  the  manner  in  which  Miss  Sewell  has  exe- 
cuted the  work,  we  can  scarcely  speak  in  terms  of 
approbation  too  strong.  Drawing  her  materials 
from  the  best,  that  is  to  say,  the  most  reliable 
sources,  she  has  incorporated  them  in  a narrative 
at  once  unostentatious,  perspicuous,  and  graphic: 
manifestly  aiming  throughout  to  be  clearly  under- 
stood by  those  for  whom  she  wrote,  and  to  im- 
press deeply  and  permanently  on  their  minds  what 
she  wrote;  and  in  both  of  these  aims,  we  think, 
she  has  been  eminently  successful. 


vm 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


On  the  whole,  we  are  inclined  to  believe  that 
the  public  generally  will  regard  this  work  as  a very 
desirable  accession  to  our  juvenile  literature;  and 
will  heartily  approve  of  its  republication  in  the 
present  cheap  and  convenient  form. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAtfE 

I. — The  Foundation  of  Rome  . . . . i 

II.— Romulus 7 

III.  — Numa  Pompilius II 

IV.  — Tullus  Hostilius  ......  12 

V. — Ancus  Martius 15 

VI. — Lucius  Tarquinius  Priscus  . . . .16 

VII. — Servius  Tullius ig 

VIII. — Tarquinius  Superbus 22 

IX. — The  Republic  ......  28 

X. — The  Insurrection  of  the  Plebeians  . . 34 

XI. — Caius  Marcius  Coriolanus  . . . -37 

XII. — Cincinnatus 39 

XIII.  — The  Decemviri 43 

XIV.  — The  Siege  of  Veii 47 

XV. — Invasion  of  the  Gauls 50 

XVI. — Rome  Rebuilt,  B.  c.  389  . . . -55 

XVII. — The  Agrarian  Law  .....  58 

XVIII.— The  First  Samnite  War  . . . .62 

XIX. — The  Second  Samnite  War  . . . .64 

XX. — The  Third  Samnite  War  . , . .66 

XXL — Pyrrhus,  King  of  Epirus  . . . .68 

ix 


X 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXII. — The  First  Punic  War  ....  72 

XXIII. — The  Second  Punic  War . ...  78 

XXIV.— Second  Punic  War  (continued)  . . 91 

XXV. — Wars  in  Greece  .....  95 

XXVI.— The  Third  Punic  War  ....  101 

XXVII.— The  Gracchi no 

XXVIII. — War  with  Jugurtha,  King  of  Numidia  . 116 

XXIX. — Invasion  of  the  Cimbri  ....  122 

XXX. — The  Social,  or  Marsic  War  . . . 125 

XXXI. — Civil  War  between  Marius  and  Sylla  . 129 

XXXII.— Sylla 135 

XXXIII. — Sertorius 141 

XXXIV. — Servile  War  under  Spartacus  . . 144 

XXXV.— Third  Mithridatic  War  . . . .148 

XXXVI. — Catiline’s  Conspiracy  ....  152 

XXXVII. — Caesar’s  Wars  in  Gaul  ....  158 

XXXVIII. — Caesar’s  Conquest  of  Britain  . . . 160 

XXXIX. — Civil  War  between  Pompey  and  Caesar  . 162 

XL. — Caesar  attacks  Pompey  . . . .165 

XLI. — Caesar’s  power  fully  established  . . 173 

XLII. — Julius  Caesar  dictator  for  life  . . . 176 

XLIII. — The  state  of  Rome  after  the  death  of 

Caesar 180 

XLIV. — Brutus  and  Cassius  ....  187 

XLV. — The  Division  of  the  Empire  by  the 

Second  Triumvirate . . . . IQO 

XLVI. — Antony  and  Cleopatra  ....  193 

XLVII. — Augustus  Caesar 198 

XLVI  1 1. — Tiberius  Caesar 202 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


XI 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XLIX. — Caius  Caligula 206 

L. — Claudius  Caesar 211 

LI.— Nero 213 

LII— Galba 219 

LIII. — Otho 220 

LIV. — Vitellius 220 

LV.— 225 

Chronological  Table  of  the  principal  contem- 
porary events  of  Roman  and  Jewish  history  . 233 

Questions 237 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


CHAPTER  I. 


B.  C. 

1184  to  753. 


THE  FOUNDATION  OF  ROME. 

B.  C.  753. 

I.  If  we  desire  to  understand  the  his- 
tory of  any  country,  that  is,  what  hap- 
pened to  the  people  who  lived  in  it  in 
years  past,  we  must  begin  by  learning  where  the 
country  itself  is,  and  what  it  is  like. 

2.  The  history  of  Rome  is  the  history  of  a people 
who  once  dwelt  in  Italy,  and,  being  extremely  brave, 
fought  against  other  nations  and  conquered  them, 
and  at  last  became  the  masters  of  a great  part  of  the 
world.  We  shall  find  Italy  in  the  map  of  Europe — 
Germany  and  Switzerland  lie  to  the  north  of  it;  the 
Adriatic  Sea  bounds  it  on  the  east;  and  the  Mediter- 
ranean on  the  south  and  west.  Its  shape  is  curious, 
something  like  a man’s  boot. 

3.  Italy  is  a very  beautiful  country;  it  is  much 
warmer  there  than  in  England;  the  winds  are 
softer,  the  sky  is  of  a deeper  blue,  and  many  lovely 
flowers  and  shrubs  bloom  in  the  open  air,  which  we 
are  obliged  to  keep  carefully  in  green-houses.  A 
high  range  of  mountains,  called  the  Apennines, 
runs  through  it  from  north  to  south ; and  below 
these  mountains  there  are  smooth  lakes  and  fertile 


2 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


valleys,  amongst  which  grow  corn  and  vines,  orange 
groves  and  mulberry-trees,  and  all  which  can  really 
be  desired  to  support  and  make  life  pleasant.  Italy 
has  often  been  called  the  garden  of  the  world. 

4.  It  is  natural  for  us  to  wish  to  know  who  first 
inhabited  this  beautiful  country — who  governed  the 
people  and  made  laws  for  them — but  it  is  very  diffi- 
cult to  find  out  the  truth;  and  when  we  read  the 
stories  which  are  commonly  told  upon  these  sub- 
jects, we  must  remember  that  we  cannot  be  as  cer- 
tain of  them  as  we  are  of  things  which  have  hap- 
pened in  later  years.  All  that  we  can  really  be 
sure  is,  that  in  very  ancient  times  Italy  was  divid- 
ed into  a great  many  little  states,  and  that  the  in- 
habitants were  continually  fighting  with  each  oth- 
er. As  to  their  religion  they  were  heathens,  and 
worshipped  false  gods;  but  they  were  very  particu- 
lar in  keeping  up  all  their  religious  customs  and 
ceremonies,  much  more  so  indeed  than  many  per- 
sons in  these  days  who  say  they  believe  in  the  True 
God. 

5.  One  of  the  principal  of  these  Italian  States 
was  called  Latium,  and  its  chief  city  was  Alba 
Longa,  or  the  long  white  city.  Alba  is  said  to  have 
been  built  by  the  son  of  .Tineas,  a famous  prince, 
who  settled  in  Italy  after  escaping  from  Troy,  a 
city  in  Asia  Minor,  which  was  taken  by  the  Greeks 
about  the  year  b.  c.  1184.  There  were  many  kings 
of  Alba  whom  we  know  nothing  about;  but  we  are 
told  at  last  of  two  brothers,  Numitor  and  Amulius, 
who  both  wished  to  have  the  crown.  Numitor  was 
the  rightful  king;  but  Amulius  was  the  braver  and 
richer,  and  by  giving  the  people  money,  he  per- 
suaded them  to  help  him  in  taking  possession  of  his 
brother’s  throne,  and  compelling  him  to  live  like  a 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


3 


common  person.  Amulius  could  not  have  been 
happy  after  doing  such  a wicked  thing;  he  began 
to  fear  lest,  some  day  or  other,  the  children  of  Nu- 
mitor  might  try  to  take  his  crown  as  he  had  taken 
their  father’s;  and  in  order  to  be  safe  he  killed 
Numitor’s  sons,  and  obliged  his  daughter,  who  was 
called  Rhea  Silvia,  to  be  a vestal  virgin.  Vestal 
virgins  were  women  whose  duty  it  was  to  attend  to 
the  religious  services  in  the  temple  of  Vesta,  one 
of  the  heathen  goddesses.  One  of  their  chief  duties 
was  to  take  care  that  a particular  fire,  which  was 
considered  sacred,  should  never  be  allowed  to  go 
out.  There  was  a very  strict  law  against  their 
marrying  and  having  children,  and  Amulius  'sup- 
posed, therefore,  that  if  he  made  Rhea  Silvia  a vestal 
virgin,  there  would  be  no  fear  of  any  one  after  her 
trying  to  do  him  harm. 

6.  In  spite,  however,  of  this  strict  law,  Rhea 
Silvia  had  two  little  sons — they  were  twins,  born  at 
the  same  time.  Amulius  was  exceedingly  angry 
when  he  heard  it,  and  made  up  his  mind  directly 
that  the  poor  children  should  be  killed.  There  was 
a deep  river,  the  Tiber,  which  flowed  by  his  city, 
and  he  ordered  them  to  be  thrown  into  it.  Per- 
haps he  thought  that  when  the  dark  waters  had  hid- 
den them  from  sight  they  would  be  forgotten,  and 
no  one  would  ask  who  murdered  them.  The  serv- 
ants of  Amulius  did  as  they  were  told;  they  put  the 
two  little  infants  into  a basket  and  took  them  to 
the  river,  and  there  they  laid  them  down  in  the 
cold  stream  and  left  them  alone  to  die.  Just  at  that 
time  the  waters  of  the  Tiber  had  overflowed  its 
banks,  and  covered  part  of  the  land  near.  The 
basket  was  carried  down  the  river  till  it  reached  a 
part  where  the  water  was  not  very  deep,  and  then 


4 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


it  rested  upon  the  ground;  and  so  the  poor  chil- 
dren were  saved  from  drowning. 

7.  There  was  no  one,  however,  to  feed  them,  or 
take  care  of  them,  and  they  must  still  have  died  if 
they  had  remained  there.  But  it  happened  (or,  if 
the  story  be  really  true,  we  must  say  it  was  ordered 
by  God)  that  Faustulus,  a shepherd,  found  the  two 
little  babies  and  had  pity  upon  them,  and  carried 
them  home  to  his  wife,  and  told  her  that  she  must 
nurse  them  and  bring  them  up  with  his  own  chil- 
dren, and  he  gave  them  the  names  of  Romulus  and 
Remus. 

8.  All  this  time  Amulius  supposed  they  were 
dead,  and  that  he  was  quite  safe;  but  God,  who 
punishes  wicked  heathens  as  well  as  Christians,  did 
not  allow  him  to  escape.  A great  many  years  how- 
ever went  by;  Amulius  was  still  king  of  Alba,  and 
his  brother  Numitor  lived  near  him,  without  having 
riches  or  power,  and  very  unhappy,  no  doubt  for  the 
loss  of  his  children;  and  Romulus  and  Remus  grew 
up  to  be  young  men,  and  were  thought  to  be  the 
sons  of  the  shepherd  Faustulus.  They  used  to 
spend  a great  part  of  their  time  in  feeding  cattle 
upon  the  hills  and  in  fighting  against  robbers,  and 
this  made  them  very  brave  and  hardy.  Numitor 
also  had  some  flocks  and  herds  which  fed  on  the 
mountains,  and  one  day  there  was  a quarrel  be- 
tween his  herdsmen  and  Romulus  and  Remus.  Re- 
mus was  taken  prisoner,  and  the  shepherd  carried 
him  off  to  Numitor,  imagining  that  he  would  be 
very  angry  with  him.  But  Numitor  liked  what  he 
saw  of  Remus  extremely;  he  thought  him  a fine, 
noble  young  man,  and  asked  several  questions  as 
to  who  he  was,  and  where  he  came  from;  and 
at  last  he  began  to  suspect  that  perhaps  he  might  be 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


5 


one  of  the  little  twins  who  were  supposed  to  have 
been  drowned  in  the  river  Tiber.  Of  course  he  was 
quite  certain  of  it  when  he  heard  all  about  him 
from  Faustulus;  and  soon  it  was  known  by  every 
one  that  Romulus  and  Remus  were  the  grandsons 
of  Numitor. 

9.  Then  the  two  young  princes  determined  not 
to  let  Amulius  be  king  any  longer,  and  they 
brought  together  all  their  friends  and  companions, 
and  attacked  the  city.  Amulius  did  his  best  to 
save  himself,  but  he  could  not  succeed,  for  Romu- 
lus came  to  his  palace,  and  forced  his  way  through 
the  guards,  and  at  length  found  his  uncle  and 
killed  him.  Numitor  was  then  proclaimed  king 
again. 

10.  Romulus  and  Remus  were  not  contented  to 
live  quietly  at  Alba  after  this.  They  had  a great 
wish  to  build  a city  for  themselves.  Their  grand- 
father allowed  them  to  follow  their  own  will,  and 
they  left  Alba  and  set  out  with  some  followers  to 
find  a place  which  would  suit  them.  A spot  was 
discovered  amongst  some  hills,  not  very  far  from 
Alba,  which  they  thought  would  do;  but  when  they 
had  fixed  upon  it,  they  could  not  agree  as  to  which 
of  them  should  begin  the  work.  So  they  deter- 
mined to  settle  the  question  by  consulting  an  augur. 
Augurs  were  persons  who  pretended  to  decide  what 
ought  to  be  done  by  observing  such  things  as  the 
flight  of  birds,  or  by  examining  the  appearance  of 
the  entrails  of  beasts  after  they  were  sacrificed. 
The  heathens  supposed  that  their  gods  declared 
their  will  by  such  signs.  Some  appearances  were 
thought  to  be  good  auguries,  others  bad  ones.  The 
augurs  in  Italy  had  a great  deal  of  respect  paid  to 
them,  so  that  it  was  natural  for  Romulus  and  Re- 

2 


6 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


mus  to  go  to  them  when  they  could  not  settle  a 
question  for  themselves. 

xi.  A particular  day  was  named  for  consulting 
the  augur,  and  Romulus  and  Remus  stood  upon  dif- 
ferent hills  to  watch  for  what  would  appear  to  them. 
It  is  said  that  Remus  saw  six  vultures  first,  and 
Romulus  twelve  afterwards.  The  augurs  declared 
that  Romulus  had  the  best  omen,  and  that  he  was 
to  begin  building  the  city;  and  so  he  did,  and  called 
it  Rome.  He  marked  out  the  size  by  yoking  a bull 
and  a cow  to  a plough,  which  as  it  went  along, 
made  furrows  where  the  walls  were  to  be  built; 
but  the  plough  was  lifted  up  wherever  the  gates 
were  to  be,  because  every  spot  which  it  had  passed 
over  was  considered  sacred,  and  was  never  to  be 
trodden  on  again.  This  was  753  years  before  the 
birth  of  our  Saviour. 

12.  Remus  was  greatly  disappointed  at  having 
lost  the  honour  of  beginning  the  city,  and  he  gave 
way  to  his  envious  feelings  by  laughing  at  his 
brother,  and  leaping  over  the  low  walls  and  ditches 
which  were  just  begun,  and  asking  if  such  things 
as  those  would  be  any  defence.  This  made  a friend 
of  Romulus  exceedingly  angry,  and  he  struck  Re- 
mus, who  fell  to  the  ground.  The  young  prince 
died  on  the  same  spot,  and  they  carried  him  to  the 
banks  of  the  Tiber  and  buried  him. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


; 


CHAPTER  II. 

ROMULUS. 

FIRST  KING  OF  ROME.  B.  C.  753. 

Q'  i.  Romulus  was  now  left  to  be  king 
753  to  716.  alone;  but  his  kingdom  was  a very- 
poor,  small  one.  It  was  only  a collec- 
tion of  huts,  with  a little  ground  about  it;  and  the 
walls  of  his  palace,  we  are  told,  were  made  of  rushes, 
and  covered  with  thatch.  He  had  besides  very  few 
subjects,  and  he  therefore  invited  all  people  from 
the  neighboring  states  who  were  discontented  or 
unhappy,  or  who  had  done  wicked  things  and  were 
afraid  of  being  punished,  to  come  and  live  in  his 
new  city. 

2.  A good  many  men  came,  but  there  were 
scarcely  any  women;  so  that  when  they  wanted 
wives  they  could  not  get  them.  At  last  Romulus 
thought  of  a plan  by  which  he  might  bring  some 
women  to  Rome.  He  ordered  a great  festival  to 
be  kept,  with  games  and  rejoicings,  and  asked  a 
tribe  of  people  called  Sabines,  who  were  settled  near 
Rome  to  come  to  it  with  their  families.  This  they 
agreed  to  do,  and  when  the  time  arrived  they 
all  appeared  and  the  games  began.  Then  a number 
of  young  Romans  rushed  in  amongst  the  Sabines, 
and  caught  all  the  women  who  were  unmarried, 
and  carried  them  away  in  triumph  to  be  their 
wives. 

3.  The  Sabines  were  naturally  enough  exceed- 
ingly angry,  and  as  the  Romans  would  not  give  their 
daughters  back  to  them,  they  determined  to  de- 
clare war  against  them. 


8 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


4.  Both  the  Romans  and  the  Sabines  were  very 
brave,  and  the  war  went  on  for  a long  time  without 
either  of  them  being  conquerors.  The  Sabines, 
however,  took  possession  of  the  citadel  or  strong 
fortress  of  the  Romans  by  the  help  of  the  governor’s 
daughter.  This  woman’s  name  was  Tarpeia.  She 
had  seen  the  golden  bracelets  and  rings  which  it 
was  the  custom  of  the  Sabines  to  wear,  and  she 
wished  very  much  to  have  some  of  them  for  her 
own.  She  therefore  contrived  to  tell  the  Sabines 
that  if  they  would  give  her  what  they  wore  on  their 
left  arms  she  would  let  them  into  the  citadel.  The 
Sabines  very  willingly  agreed  to  this;  the  time  was 
fixed,  and  all  the  arrangements  were  made.  Tar- 
peia kept  her  promise,  and  managed  to  unfasten 
the  gates,  and  the  Sabines  came  in;  but  as  they 
passed  her  they  threw  their  bucklers,  which  were 
carried  on  their  left  arms,  upon  her,  and  crushed 
her  to  death;  and  thus  her  treachery  and  covetous- 
ness were  punished.  Part  of  the  hill  upon  which 
this  fortress  stood  is  still  called  the  Tarpeian  rock, 
and  it  used  to  be  a custom  in  Rome  to  throw  per- 
sons headlong  from  it  who  were  sentenced  to  die  for 
having  committed  any  great  crimes. 

5.  The  war  was  not  at  an  end  even  when  the  Sa- 
bines had  taken  this  fortress.  It  went  on  much 
longer;  and  at  last  there  was  a very  great  battle, 
and  no  doubt  a number  of  persons  would  have  been 
killed,  if  the  Sabine  women,  who  had  been  carried 
away  and  married  to  the  Romans,  had  not  deter- 
mined to  try  and  prevent  any  more  fighting. 

6.  We  can  easily  understand  why  they  should 
have  wished  to  make  peace,  for  whichever  side  con- 
quered they  were  sure  to  be  unhappy.  The  Sa- 
bines were  their  fathers  and  brothers,  but  the  Ro- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


9 


mans  were  their  husbands;  and  though  they  had 
been  taken  away  by  force  at  first,  by  this  time  they 
had  grown  quite  fond  of  them.  The  women  all 
marched  out  of  the  city  with  their  children  in  their 
arms;  and  when  they  came  to  the  place  where  the 
battle  was  going  on,  they  rushed  into  the  middle 
of  it  amongst  the  soldiers,  and  begged  them  to  be 
friends.  Tatius,  the  king  of  the  Sabines,  listened 
to  them;  and  he  and  Romulus  consulted  as  to  what 
could  be  done  to  stop  the  war.  At  last  it  was  pro- 
posed that  the  Romans  and  the  Sabines  should 
become  one  people;  that  Tatius  and  Romulus  should 
reign  over  them  together,  and  that  when  they  were 
dead,  a Roman  and  a Sabine  should  be  chosen  in 
turn.  This  was  accordingly  settled;  and  the  two 
kings  took  an  oath  that  they  would  always  keep 
peace  with  each  other  for  the  future. 

7.  There  was  a famous  temple  built  at  this  time 
to  Janus,  the  god  of  peace.  The  gates  were  kept 
open  during  war,  and  shut  in  the  time  of  peace. 
We  learn  from  the  Roman  writers  that  it  was  only 
shut  twice  during  seven  hundred  years,  which  is  a 
proof  how  constantly  the  Romans  were  at  war.  Ta- 
tius and  Romulus  did  not  reign  very  long  together. 
Tatius  was  murdered  after  a few  years.  He  re- 
fused to  punish  some  of  his  friends  who  had  done 
wrong,  and  the  persons  who  were  injured  killed 
him  in  revenge.  No  one  was  chosen  to  succeed 
him,  so  that  Romulus  was  now  king  over  both  the 
Romans  and  the  Sabines.  He  seems  to  have  been 
careful  to  govern  well,  for  he  chose  some  of  his 
oldest  and  best  subjects  to  help  him  with  their 
advice.  They  were  called  senators.  At  first  there 
were  two  hundred — one  hundred  for  the  Romans, 
and  the  other  for  the  Sabines;  but  another  hundred 


IO 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


was  added  afterwards — so  there  were  in  all  three 
hundred. 

8.  The  Senators  used  to  meet  in  the  Forum  or 
market-place,  which  was  a large  open  space,  with 
covered  ways  or  porticoes  round  it. 

9.  After  a while  Romulus  had  other  subjects  be- 
sides the  Sabines,  and  those  who  first  joined  him; 
for  some  of  the  little  towns  and  states  near  were 
conquered  by  degrees,  and  the  inhabitants  left 
their  cities  and  settled  at  Rome,  and  were  called 
Plebeians.  The  others  were  called  Patricians. 

10.  The  patricians  looked  down  upon  the  ple- 
beians, and  would  not  give  them  the  same  advan- 
tages as  they  had  themselves;  and  in  after  years 
many  of  the  troubles  which  happened  at  Rome  were 
caused  by  the  quarrels  between  the  patricians  and 
plebeians. 

11.  There  were  also  in  Rome  persons  called  Cli- 
ents. They  were  not  of  high  rank,  and  it  is  not  quite 
known  where  they  first  came  from;  but  they  were 
something  like  servants  or  tenants  to  the  patricians; 
that  is,  the  chief  of  the  family  was  obliged  to  protect 
his  client,  and  take  care  that  he  was  not  treated  un- 
justly; and  the  client  was  obliged  to  support  his 
chief  or  patron  on  many  occasions.  The  Roman 
patricians  were  very  proud  of  having  a great  many 
clients.  The  lowest  rank  of  all  were  slaves. 

12.  We  have  not  any  clear  account  of  the  laws 
which  Romulus  made.  He  is  said  to  have  reigned 
thirty-seven  years,  but  how  and  where  he  died  is  not 
certain. 

13.  This  is  the  story  which  is  told  us: — Romulus 
summoned  a great  meeting  of  the  people  in  a place 
called  the  field  of  Mars.  A fierce  storm  arose,  the 
sky  became  quite  dark,  and  the  multitude,  being 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


I I 

frightened,  fled  away  to  their  homes.  When  the 
storm  was  over,  Romulus  could  not  be  found.  The 
people  said  that  he  was  taken  to  heaven,  and  they 
worshipped  him  as  a god. 

14.  That,  of  course,  was  a heathen  notion.  Rom- 
ulus must  have  died  as  other  men  died.  Some  have 
said  that  the  senators  murdered  him. 

15.  It  may  be  useful  to  remember,  that  when 
Rome  was  founded  the  prophet  Isaiah  was  living, 
for  by  placing  together  the  facts  of  sacred  and  com- 
mon history  we  sometimes  gain  a clearer  idea  of 
both. 


CHAPTER  III. 

NUMA  POMPILIUS, 

SECOND  KING  OF  ROME,  B.  C.  715. 

q i.  Some  time  passed  after  Romulus 
715  to  673.  was  dead  before  it  was  settled  who 
should  succeed  him.  In  the  mean  time 
the  senators  governed.  The  Romans  at  last  fixed 
upon  the  Sabine,  Numa  Pompilius,  who  was  a very 
good  man — wise,  gentle,  just,  and  extremely  particu- 
lar about  every  thing  which  had  to  do  with  religion. 

2.  The  Romans  respected  him  very  much,  and 
supposed  he  was  taught  by  a beautiful  goddess 
whom  they  called  Egeria.  It  was  Numa’s  custom 
often  to  go  by  himself  to  a grotto  near  Rome,  and 
there  they  fancied  that  Egeria  appeared  to  him,  and 
told  him  what  laws  to  make.  This  notion  we  know 
was  absurd  and  untrue,  but  certainly  Numa  did 


12 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


many  things  which  may  be  a good  example  to  all 
persons,  Christians  as  well  as  heathens.  He  was 
very  strict  in  making  the  Romans  keep  their  word; 
and  he  was  as  kind  to  the  poor  as  he  was  to  the 
rich;  and  instead  of  allowing  the  Romans  to  quarrel 
with  their  neighbors,  and  go  to  war  with  them,  he 
kept  them  at  peace  during  the  whole  of  his  reign,  so 
that  the  temple  of  Janus  was  never  once  opened. 

3.  He  reigned  a long  while — forty  years  and 
more,  it  is  said;  and  it  must  have  been  a sorrowful 
day  for  Rome  when  good  King  Numa  died. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TULLUS  HOSTILIUS, 

THIRD  KING  OF  ROME,  B.  C.  673. 

B.  C.  I.  The  next  king  who  reigned  in  Rome 
673  to  642.  was  Tullus  Hostilius.  He  was  a Roman 
chosen  by  the  Sabines.  He  was  not  a 
religious  man  like  Numa,  though  he  is  said  to  have 
taken  care  of  the  poor.  We  do  not  know  much 
about  him,  but  he  is  supposed  to  have  reigned 
thirty-two  years. 

2.  The  principal  event  that  happened  in  his  time 
was  the  destruction  of  Alba  Longa.  Rome  and  Alba 
were  very  near  each  other  and  the  people  quarrelled, 
and  then  their  kings  went  to  war.  But  instead  of 
fighting  a great  battle,  they  determined  to  settle 
their  disputes  in  the  following  manner.  It  hap- 
pened that  the  Albans  had  three  brothers  in  their 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


13 


army  who  were  very  brave,  handsome,  and  noble; 
they  were  called  Curiatii.  In  the  Roman  army 
there  were  also  three  brothers  called  Horatii.  The 
Horatii  and  the  Curiatii  were  cousins  and  friends, 
for  the  sister  of  one  of  the  Horatii  was  engaged 
to  be  married  to  one  of  the  Curiatii,  and  because 
she  loved  him  very  much,  she  had  worked  a beauti- 
ful robe  for  him  which  he  used  to  wear.  Yet  though 
they  were  cousins,  it  was  proposed  that  they  should 
fight  together.  The  Horatii  were  to  fight  for  the 
Romans,  and  the  Curiatii  for  the  Albans,  and  which- 
ever of  the  two  sets  of  brothers  conquered,  their 
side  was  to  be  considered  to  have  gained  the  vic- 
tory, just  as  if  the  two  armies  had  really  fought  a 
battle. 

3.  The  young  men  did  not  mind  being  chosen  in 
this  way;  indeed  they  thought  it  a great  honour. 
They  went  out  to  meet  each  other  like  friends,  and 
promised  that  they  would  fight  quite  fairly,  and 
then  they  began. 

4.  Two  of  the  Horatii  were  soon  killed:  the  other 
knew  that  he  could  not  defend  himself  much  longer, 
so  he  pretended  to  run  away.  The  Curiatii  followed 
him;  but  because  they  were  wounded,  they  could 
not  go  very  fast,  and  were  not  able  to  keep  together; 
and  when  Horatius  saw  that  they  were  separated,  he 
turned  back,  and  attacked  them  one  by  one;  and  at 
last  the  three  brave  Curiatii  were  all  killed. 

5.  Horatius  was  very  much  delighted,  and  set  off 
directly  for  Rome,  where  he  knew  he  should  have 
great  honors  paid  him.  Before  he  went  he  took  off 
the  robe  which  his  sister  had  worked  for  her  cousin, 
and  put  it  upon  his  own  shoulders.  As  he  came  to 
the  city  his  sister  met  him,  and  upon  perceiving 
what  he  wore  she  grew  exceedingly  angry,  and  be- 


14 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


gan  to  reproach  him,  calling  him  a murderer.  Ho- 
ratius  could  not  bear  this,  and  he  lifted  up  his 
sword  and  killed  her  on  the  spot. 

6.  Horatius  was  ordered  to  be  punished  for  his 
crime,  but  he  was  not  condemned  to  death,  because 
he  had  just  done  such  great  service  for  his  country 
in  fighting  for  it:  he  was,  therefore,  made  to  pass 
under  the  yoke.  This  means  that  two  spears  hav- 
ing been  planted  in  the  ground,  and  another  laid 
across  the  top  of  them,  Horatius  was  made  to  pass 
under  them  as  a sign  of  his  being  humbled  and  de- 
graded. 

7.  There  was  peace  between  the  Albans  and  Ro- 
mans for  a little  time  after  this;  but  the  Albans  only 
pretended  to  be  friendly,  and  when  the  Romans 
found  this  out,  they  took  the  first  opportunity  of 
marching  against  Alba,  and  quite  destroyed  it.  The 
walls  were  completely  pulled  down  and  never  built 
up  again. 

8.  King  Tullus  grew  sorry  after  a time  that  he 
had  not  been  as  careful  about  religion  as  Numa 
was.  Some  say  that  he  had  a painful  disease  which 
made  him  think  of  these  things.  The  people  must 
have  had  a very  bad  opinion  of  him,  for  when  his 
palace  caught  fire,  and  he  himself  was  burnt  with  it, 
they  declared  that  he  was  killed  because  the  gods 
were  angry  with  him.  We  are  not  told  where  he 
was  buried,  and  it  is  supposed  that  no  honours  were 
paid  him  at  his  death. 

9.  This  was  a great  mark  of  disrespect  amongst 
all  nations;  as  we  read  in  the  Bible  of  Jehoialcim 
the  wicked  king  of  Judah,  who  lived  about  30  years 
after  Tullus,  that  none  were  to  lament  for  him,  and 
that  he  was  not  to  be  buried  like  other  men. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


15 


CHAPTER  V. 

ANCUS  MARTIUS, 

FOURTH  KING  OF  ROME,  B.  C.  642. 

B.  C.  1.  Ancus  Martius  was  the  next  king. 
642  to  617.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  grandson  of 
Numa,  and  in  some  respects  he  was  like 
him,  for  he  showed  great  regard  to  religion. 

2.  There  were,  however,  some  wars  in  his  reign, 
and  as  the  Romans  were  generally  conquerors,  their 
dominions  increased  in  consequence.  The  city  also 
became  larger,  and  there  were  a great  many  more 
people  living  in  it;  but  this  brought  trouble  to  An- 
cus, for  there  were  so  many  crimes  committed,  that 
he  was  obliged  to  build  a prison,  in  which  all  the 
wicked  persons  were  kept.  A dark  and  dreadful 
place  it  was,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  remains  of  it  at 
Rome  at  this  day. 

3.  I<  happened  during  the  reign  of  Ancus  that  a 
rich  stranger,  called  Lucius  Tarquinius  Priscus, 
came  to  settle  at  Rome,  with  his  wife  Tanaquil. 
Tanaquil  was  a very  ambitious  woman,  and  wished 
above  all  things  to  see  her  husband  a great  man. 
There  was  not  much  hope  of  his  being  so  in  the 
town  where  he  had  been  living,  and  for  this  reason 
she  persuaded  him  to  leave  it,  which  accordingly 
he  did,  and  set  out  on  his  journey  in  a chariot  with 
his  wife  and  attendants.  Just  as  they  arrived  at  one 
of  the  hills  on  which  Rome  was  built,  they  looked 
up  and  saw  an  eagle  hovering  over  their  heads. 
Presently  it  descended,  took  off  the  cap  which 
Lucius  wore,  and  went  up  with  it  into  the  air.  Then 


i6 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


coming  down  again,  the  bird  placed  the  cap  on 
the  head  of  Lucius  a second  time,  and  flew  off. 

4.  Tanaquil  pretended  to  have  great  skill  in  augu- 
ry, and  to  be  able  to  foretell  what  was  going  to  hap- 
pen. She  thought  the  appearance  of  the  eagle  was 
a good  sign,  and  declared  to  her  husband  that  the 
gods  had  sent  to  let  him  know  that  he  should  one 
day  be  king  of  Rome.  Both  Lucius  and  Tanaquil 
were  very  well  received  at  Rome.  They  were  much 
liked  because  they  were  rich  and  agreeable,  and 
King  Ancus  himself  was  pleased  with  Lucius  Tar- 
quinius,  and  by  degrees  became  his  great  friend,  and 
consulted  him  whenever  any  important  question 
was  to  be  decided. 

5.  It  seemed,  therefore,  very  likely  that  Tanaquil’s 
prophecy  might  some  day  be  fulfilled. 

6.  Ancus  reigned  twenty-four  years,  and  when 
he  died  he  gave  his  two  sons  in  charge  to  Lucius 
Tarquinius. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

LUCIUS  TARQUINIUS  PRISCUS, 

FIFTH  KING  OF  ROME,  B.  C.  617. 

g C 1.  Tanaquil  had  her  wish  when  King 
617  to  57  , Ancus  was  dead,  for  the  Romans  chose 
Lucius  Tarquinius  Priscus  to  succeed 
him.  Their  choice  was  upon  the  whole  a good  one, 
for  Lucius  proved  himself  in  many  ways  the  greatest 
prince  who  had  yet  reigned  over  them.  He  was 
very  warlike,  and  increased  the  Roman  dominions; 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


17 


and  he  also  took  great  pains  to  make  the  city  not 
only  beautiful  but  more  healthy,  by  drawing  the 
water  from  the  swampy  ground  which  lay  near  it. 
The  largest  of  these  drains  is  to  be  seen  now  at 
Rome,  and  is  called  the  Cloaca  Maxima.  It  is  so 
high  and  so  broad  that  a cart  loaded  with  hay  can 
pass  through  it;  and  though  it  has  stood  such  an 
immense  number  of  years  there  is  not  a stone  out 
of  its  place. 

2.  Besides  these  great  works,  Lucius  Tarquinius 
amused  the  people  by  public  games  and  chariot 
races.  He  built  an  immense  open  theatre  or  circus, 
in  which  the  people  used  to  sit  to  watch  the  races. 
This  circus  was  made  so  much  larger  afterwards, 
that  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  persons  could 
be  seated  in  it. 

3.  The  Romans  were  always  excessively  fond  ©f 
games  and  shows. 

4.  But  though  Lucius  Tarquinius  was  much 
liked,  he  was  not  able  to  have  his  own  will  in  every 
thing.  There  is  a strange  story  told  about  this, 
which  we  know  however  cannot  be  all  true.  He 
wished,  it  is  said,  to  increase  the  number  of  his 
cavalry, 'or  horsemen,  thinking  they  would  help  him 
in  his  wars.  The  Romans  were  extremely  strict  in 
keeping  to  all  their  old  customs,  which  they  thought 
had  been  settled  by  the  gods;  and  as  the  number 
of  horsemen  was  fixed,  they  did  not  like  the  idea  of 
a change.  One  of  the  augurs  indeed  warned  the 
king  that  he  had  no  right  to  make  any  alteration 
without  the  permission  of  the  gods.  But  Lucius 
Tarquinius  only  scoffed  at  him  for  pretending  to 
know  anything  about  the  will  of  the  gods;  and  in 
order  to  prove  if  the  augur  really  had  more  knowl- 
edge than  other  persons,  he  asked  him  whether, 


i8 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


what  he  was  then  thinking  of,  was  possible  to  be 
done  or  not.  “ Yes,”  replied  the  augur,  “ what  you 
are  thinking  of  may  be  done.”  The  king  smiled 
scornfully,  and  drew  a razor  from  beneath  his  robe; 
then  taking  a flint  in  his  hand,  he  said:  “I  was 
thinking  whether  it  was  possible  for  thee  to  cut  this 
flint  with  this  razor.”  The  augur  took  the  flint 
instantly,  and  without  the  least  difficulty  cut  it  com- 
pletely through;  and  from  that  moment  the  king 
gave  up  the  wish  of  doing  any  thing  which  was  de- 
clared by  the  augurs  to  be  against  the  will  of  the 
gods.  There  is  another  wonderful  story  told  of  an 
event  that  took  place  about  this  time.  The  king, 
in  one  of  his  battles,  took  prisoner  a woman,  whom 
he  carried  home  to  wait  upon  his  wife.  Tanaquil 
set  her  free,  and  allowed  her  son  Servius  Tullius  to 
be  brought  up  in  the  palace.  One  night,  as  this 
child  was  sleeping  in  his  cradle,  a bright  flame  was 
seen  to  flicker  about  his  head.  The  persons  who 
perceived  it  were  very  much  frightened;  but  when 
they  sent  for  Tanaquil,  she  declared  that  the  sign 
was  a good  one,  and  meant  that  the  boy  would  one 
day  become  a great  and  good  man.  From  that  mo- 
ment Tanaquil  determined  to  educate  him  as  her 
own  child,  and  when  he  grew  up  to  be  a man,  Lu- 
cius Tarquinius  gave  him  one  of  his  daughters  for 
a wife. 

5.  The  sons  of  Ancus  Martius  were  very  jealous 
of  the  favor  shown  to  young  Servius,  and  especially 
of  his  being  made  the  king’s  son-in-law;  for  they 
considered  themselves  the  rightful  heirs  to  the 
throne,  and  hoped  to  succeed  to  it  after  the  death  of 
Lucius  Tarquinius.  After  a great  deal  of  plotting 
they  determined  to  murder  the  king,  and  if  possible 
to  seize  upon  the  throne  before  it  could  be  given 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


19 


to  Servius.  Accordingly  they  hired  two  young 
men,  who  dressed  themselves  up  like  peasants,  and 
began  a pretended  quarrel.  The  officers  of  the 
court  took  them  before  the  king,  and  made  them  tell 
their  story,  and  whilst  he  was  listening  to  them  very 
intently,  some  of  their  companions,  who  were  in 
the  plot,  came  near  and  struck  Lucius  Tarquinius 
with  a hatchet,  and  killed  him. 

6.  The  sad  news  was  soon  told  to  Tanaquil.  She 
immediately  sent  for  Servius,  and  begged  him  to 
govern  in  the  king’s  name.  This  he  consented  to 
do,  and  Tanaquil  then  informed  the  people  that  their 
king  was  recovering,  but  that  he  wished  Servius 
Tullius  to  be  their  ruler  until  he  was  quite  restored. 
So  Servius  governed  in  the  king’s  name  for  a few 
days,  and  when  Tanaquil  thought  that  the  people 
were  accustomed  to  obey  him,  she  told  them  the 
truth,  and  Servius  became  their  real  monarch. 

7.  Lucius  Tarquinius  Priscus  reigned  thirty- 
eight  years. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SERVIUS  TULLIUS, 

SIXTH  KING  OF  ROME,  B.  C.  579. 

c.  !•  Servilts  Tullius  was  a good  and 
579  to  535.  wise  king;  but  the  patricians,  who  were 
the  chief  people  in  Rome,  did  not  at  all 
like  him  to  reign  over  them.  All  the  kings  before 
him  had  been  patricians  like  themselves;  but  Ser- 
vius was  born  whilst  his  mother  was  in  slavery,  and 


20 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


the  proud  Romans  thought  it  beneath  them  to  obey 
him.  Besides  this,  Servius  showed  great  favor  to 
the  plebeians,  who  were  generally  treated  very 
cruelly  by  the  patricians.  He  took  pity  especially 
upon  all  debtors  who  were  plebeians,  and  bade  them 
send  him  a list  of  their  debts,  which  he  helped  them 
to  pay.  If  this  had  not  been  done,  the  patricians 
might  have  taken  all  their  goods  from  them  and 
made  them  slaves. 

2.  Servius  also  made  a change  in  the  mode  of 
raising  taxes,  which  helped  the  poor,  and  prevented 
their  being  called  upon  to  pay  as  much  as  they  paid 
before;  and  he  allowed  the  plebeians  to  have  some 
land  to  cultivate  for  themselves,  which  formerly  had 
been  given  only  to  the  patricians.  In  every  case, 
indeed,  he  seems  to  have  wished  to  do  what  was 
just  and  right. 

3.  All  these  things,  however,  only  made  the  pa- 
tricians hate  Servius  more  and  more;  but  perhaps 
they  might  not  have  been  able  to  do  him  harm,  if 
his  own  children  and  relations  had  not  joined  with 
them  in  rebelling  against  him. 

4.  He  had  two  daughters  who  were  married  to 
the  two  sons  of  Lucius  Tarquinius  Priscus.  The 
younger  of  these  daughters  was  named  Tullia.  She 
was  an  extremely  wicked  woman,  and  as  she  did 
not  like  her  own  husband,  Aruns,  who  was  gentle 
and  amiable,  she  determined  to  poison  him  and  her 
sister,  and  then  to  marry  her  sister’s  husband,  Tar- 
quinius Superbus,  who,  like  herself,  was  cruel  and 
ambitious. 

5.  This  dreadful  deed  she  committed,  but  still 
she  was  not  satisfied.  Her  wish  was  that  her  hus- 
band should  be  king.  She  therefore  tried  to  per- 
suade him  that  Servius  was  taking  his  place,  and  that 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


21 


if  he  was  dead,  there  would  be  no  doubt  of  his  being 
made  king  himself.  Tarquinius  must  have  been 
nearly  as  wicked  as  his  wife,  for  he  listened  to  all 
she  said,  and  tried  in  secret  to  stir  up  the  patricians 
still  more  against  the  good  old  king. 

6.  At  last  one  day  when  the  patricians  were  par- 
ticularly angry  with  Servius,  for  endeavoring  to 
make  a law  which  they  did  not  like,  Tarquin  entered 
the  senate  like  a king,  sat  down  on  the  throne,  and 
began  to  abuse  Servius  openly.  Some  of  the  sena- 
tors took  the  king’s  part,  but  a great  many  were 
frightened,  and  a terrible  confusion  followed.  Ser- 
vius soon  heard  that  there  was  a tumult  in  the  sen- 
ate, and  went  in  haste  to  know  what  was  going  on. 
When  he  arrived  he  saw  Tarquin,  his  son-in-law, 
seated  upon  his  throne.  The  sight  made  him  exces- 
sively angry,  and  without  considering  that  Tarquin 
was  a young  man,  and  therefore  much  the  stronger 
of  the  two,  he  tried  to  pull  him  from  the  throne. 
The  wicked  prince  seized  the  old  king,  and  dragged 
him  to  the  top  of  some  high  steps,  and  then  threw 
him  down  headlong. 

7.  Some  of  his  attendants  lifted  him  up,  intending 
to  carry  him  to  his  palace;  but  Tarquin  sent  a party 
of  his  followers  after  him,  who  attacked  him  again, 
and  killed  him.  His  body  was  left  on  the  ground, 
covered  with  blood. 

8.  Tullia  knew  well  what  her  husband  intended 
to  do  on  this  day.  She  had  indeed  first  put  it  into 
his  head  to  try  and  murder  her  father,  and  whilst 
Tarquin  was  at  the  senate,  she  grew  so  impatient  to 
know  whether  his  plans  had  succeeded,  that  she  de- 
termined to  go  herself  and  learn.  Accordingly  she 
ordered  her  chariot  to  be  prepared,  and  drove  to 
the  Forum,  and  there  saluted  her  husband  as  king. 

3 


22 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


As  she  was  returning  home,  something  in  the  road 
prevented  the  horses  from  moving  on.  The  dead 
body  of  her  father  lay  on  the  ground  before  her. 
“Do  you  fear  to  drive  over  the  dead?”  exclaimed 
Tullia  to  the  charioteer:  “go  on.”  The  man  went 
on,  and  the  blood  of  the  poor  old  king  dyed  the 
wheels  of  the  chariot,  and  even  stained  the  clothes 
of  his  inhuman  daughter.  Years  afterwards  that 
horrible  action  was  still  remembered  by  the  Ro- 
mans. They  called  the  street  in  which  it  had  been 
committed  the  “ wicked  street.” 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

TARQUINIUS  SUPERBUS, 

SEVENTH  KING  OF  ROME,  B.  C.  535. 

g C i.  Tarquin  the  Second  is  said  to 

535  t°  510.  have  been  named  Superbus,  or  the 

Proud,  because  of  an  insolent  and  cruel 
speech  which  he  made  directly  after  he  came  to  the 
throne.  He  was  asked  to  allow  the  body  of  Servius 
to  be  buried  like  that  of  a prince,  but  he  answered 
that  Romulus  had  no  funeral  and  therefore  Servius 
required  none.  Certainly  no  one  could  have  ex- 
pected any  thing  good  from  a person  who  had  com- 
mitted a dreadful  crime  in  order  to  gain  the  throne, 
and  the  Romans  soon  found  that  Tarquin  was  a 
complete  tyrant.  He  treated  both  the  patricians 
and  the  plebeians  most  severely;  and  the  poor  people 
were  obliged  to  work  so  hard  at  the  different  build- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


23 


ings  which  he  chose  to  have  erected,  that  many  of 
them  killed  themselves,  whilst  several  of  the  rich 
and  noble  left  Rome,  and  went  to  Gabii,  a city  a few 
miles  from  Rome,  the  inhabitants  of  which  were 
enemies  of  Tarquin.  One  of  Tarquin’s  chief  build- 
ings was  a temple  of  the  god  Jupiter.  It  was  placed 
upon  a hill  in  the  middle  of  the  city,  and  as  the 
workmen  were  digging  the  foundations  of  this  tem- 
ple they  found  a human  head  not  at  all  decayed, 
which  was  thought  to  be  a great  prodigy,  and  a 
sign  that  the  place  would  some  day  become  the 
head  of  the  world.  From  hence  the  temple  and  the 
hill  were  called  the  Capitol,  because  of  the  Latin 
word,  caput,  which  means  a head.  Other  buildings 
were  afterwards  placed  there,  but  none  so  handsome 
as  the  temple  of  Jupiter,  with  its  bronze  gates  and 
gilt  ceilings.  Nor  was  there  any  part  of  their  city, 
which  the  people  of  Rome  from  that  time  looked 
upon  with  more  reverence  than  the  Capitol. 

2.  There  were  some  strange  books  kept  in  this 
temple  of  Jupiter  on  the  Capitoline  hill.  They 
were  said  to  have  been  brought  to  Tarquin  by  a 
sibyl  or  prophetess,  who  offered  to  let  him  have  nine 
books  for  three  hundred  pieces  of  gold.  This 
seemed  a large  sum  of  money  to  give,  and  the  king 
refused.  The  woman  went  away,  but  after  some 
time  she  returned  again,  saying  she  had  burnt  three, 
but  the  king  might  have  the  remaining  six  for  the 
same  money.  Tarquin  would  not  listen  to  her,  and 
she  again  left  him.  But  a third  time  she  came,  with 
only  three  of  the  books,  and  still  she  asked  for  three 
hundred  pieces  of  gold. 

3.  The  king  was  persuaded  then  to  examine  them 
more,  and  he  consulted  his  senate  as  to  whether  he 
should  keep  them.  They  were  found  to  be  prophe- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


what  he  was  then  thinking  of,  was  possible  to  be 
done  or  not.  “ Yes,”  replied  the  augur,  “what  you 
are  thinking  of  may  be  done.”  The  king  smiled 
scornfully,  and  drew  a razor  from  beneath  his  robe; 
then  taking  a flint  in  his  hand,  he  said:  “ I was 
thinking  whether  it  was  possible  for  thee  to  cut  this 
flint  with  this  razor.”  The  augur  took  the  flint 
instantly,  and  without  the  least  difficulty  cut  it  com- 
pletely through;  and  from  that  moment  the  king 
gave  up  the  wish  of  doing  any  thing  which  was  de- 
clared by  the  augurs  to  be  against  the  will  of  the 
gods.  There  is  another  wonderful  story  told  of  an 
event  that  took  place  about  this  time.  The  king, 
in  one  of  his  battles,  took  prisoner  a woman,  whom 
he  carried  home  to  wait  upon  his  wife.  Tanaquil 
set  her  free,  and  allowed  her  son  Servius  Tullius  to 
be  brought  up  in  the  palace.  One  night,  as  this 
child  was  sleeping  in  his  cradle,  a bright  flame  was 
seen  to  flicker  about  his  head.  The  persons  who 
perceived  it  were  very  much  frightened;  but  when 
they  sent  for  Tanaquil,  she  declared  that  the  sign 
was  a good  one,  and  meant  that  the  boy  would  one 
day  become  a great  and  good  man.  From  that  mo- 
ment Tanaquil  determined  to  educate  him  as  her 
own  child,  and  when  he  grew  up  to  be  a man,  Lu- 
cius Tarquinius  gave  him  one  of  his  daughters  for 
a wife. 

5.  The  sons  of  Ancus  Martius  were  very  jealous 
of  the  favor  shown  to  young  Servius,  and  especially 
of  his  being  made  the  king’s  son-in-law;  for  they 
considered  themselves  the  rightful  heirs  to  the 
throne,  and  hoped  to  succeed  to  it  after  the  death  of 
Lucius  Tarquinius.  After  a great  deal  of  plotting 
they  determined  to  murder  the  king,  and  if  possible 
to  seize  upon  the  throne  before  it  could  be  given 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


19 


to  Servius.  Accordingly  they  hired  two  young 
men,  who  dressed  themselves  up  like  peasants,  and 
began  a pretended  quarrel.  The  officers  of  the 
court  took  them  before  the  king,  and  made  them  tell 
their  story,  and  whilst  he  was  listening  to  them  very 
intently,  some  of  their  companions,  who  were  in 
the  plot,  came  near  and  struck  Lucius  Tarquinius 
with  a hatchet,  and  killed  him. 

6.  The  sad  news  was  soon  told  to  Tanaquil.  She 
immediately  sent  for  Servius,  and  begged  him  to 
govern  in  the  king’s  name.  This  he  consented  to 
do,  and  Tanaquil  then  informed  the  people  that  their 
king  was  recovering,  but  that  he  wished  Servius 
Tullius  to  be  their  ruler  until  he  was  quite  restored. 
So  Servius  governed  in  the  king’s  name  for  a few 
days,  and  when  Tanaquil  thought  that  the  people 
were  accustomed  to  obey  him,  she  told  them  the 
truth,  and  Servius  became  their  real  monarch. 

7.  Lucius  Tarquinius  Priscus  reigned  thirty- 
eight  years. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SERVIUS  TULLIUS, 

SIXTH  KING  OF  ROME,  B.  C.  579. 

B.  C.  1.  Servius  Tullius  was  a good  and 
579  to  535.  wise  king!  but  the  patricians,  who  were 
the  chief  people  in  Rome,  did  not  at  all 
like  him  to  reign  over  them.  All  the  kings  before 
him  had  been  patricians  like  themselves;  but  Ser- 
vius was  born  whilst  his  mother  was  in  slavery,  and 


20 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


the  proud  Romans  thought  it  beneath  them  to  obey 
him.  Besides  this,  Servius  showed  great  favor  to 
the  plebeians,  who  were  generally  treated  very 
cruelly  by  the  patricians.  He  took  pity  especially 
upon  all  debtors  who  were  plebeians,  and  bade  them 
send  him  a list  of  their  debts,  which  he  helped  them 
to  pay.  If  this  had  not  been  done,  the  patricians 
might  have  taken  all  their  goods  from  them  and 
made  them  slaves. 

2.  Servius  also  made  a change  in  the  mode  of 
raising  taxes,  which  helped  the  poor,  and  prevented 
their  being  called  upon  to  pay  as  much  as  they  paid 
before;  and  he  allowed  the  plebeians  to  have  some 
land  to  cultivate  for  themselves,  which  formerly  had 
been  given  only  to  the  patricians.  In  every  case, 
indeed,  he  seems  to  have  wished  to  do  what  was 
just  and  right. 

3.  All  these  things,  however,  only  made  the  pa- 
tricians hate  Servius  more  and  more;  but  perhaps 
they  might  not  have  been  able  to  do  him  harm,  if 
his  own  children  and  relations  had  not  joined  with 
them  in  rebelling  against  him. 

4.  He  had  two  daughters  who  were  married  to 
the  two  sons  of  Lucius  Tarquinius  Priscus.  The 
younger  of  these  daughters  was  named  Tullia.  She 
was  an  extremely  wicked  woman,  and  as  she  did 
not  like  her  own  husband,  Aruns,  who  was  gentle 
and  amiable,  she  determined  to  poison  him  and  her 
sister,  and  then  to  marry  her  sister’s  husband,  Tar- 
quinius Superbus,  who,  like  herself,  was  cruel  and 
ambitious. 

5.  This  dreadful  deed  she  committed,  but  still 
she  was  not  satisfied.  Her  wish  was  that  her  hus- 
band should  be  king.  She  therefore  tried  to  per- 
suade him  that  Servius  was  taking  his  place,  and  that 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


21 


if  he  was  dead,  there  would  be  no  doubt  of  his  being 
made  king  himself.  Tarquinius  must  have  been 
nearly  as  wicked  as  his  wife,  for  he  listened  to  all 
she  said,  and  tried  in  secret  to  stir  up  the  patricians 
still  more  against  the  good  old  king. 

6.  At  last  one  day  when  the  patricians  were  par- 
ticularly angry  with  Servius,  for  endeavoring  to 
make  a law  which  they  did  not  like,  Tarquin  entered 
the  senate  like  a king,  sat  down  on  the  throne,  and 
began  to  abuse  Servius  openly.  Some  of  the  sena- 
tors took  the  king’s  part,  but  a great  many  were 
frightened,  and  a terrible  confusion  followed.  Ser- 
vius soon  heard  that  there  was  a tumult  in  the  sen- 
ate, and  went  in  haste  to  know  what  was  going  on. 
When  he  arrived  he  saw  Tarquin,  his  son-in-law, 
seated  upon  his  throne.  The  sight  made  him  exces- 
sively angry,  and  without  considering  that  Tarquin 
was  a young  man,  and  therefore  much  the  stronger 
of  the  two,  he  tried  to  pull  him  from  the  throne. 
The  wicked  prince  seized  the  old  king,  and  dragged 
him  to  the  top  of  some  high  steps,  and  then  threw 
him  down  headlong. 

7.  Some  of  his  attendants  lifted  him  up,  intending 
to  carry  him  to  his  palace;  but  Tarquin  sent  a party 
of  his  followers  after  him,  who  attacked  him  again, 
and  killed  him.  His  body  was  left  on  the  ground, 
covered  with  blood. 

8.  Tullia  knew  well  what  her  husband  intended 
to  do  on  this  day.  She  had  indeed  first  put  it  into 
his  head  to  try  and  murder  her  father,  and  whilst 
Tarquin  was  at  the  senate,  she  grew  so  impatient  to 
know  whether  his  plans  had  succeeded,  that  she  de- 
termined to  go  herself  and  learn.  Accordingly  she 
ordered  her  chariot  to  be  prepared,  and  drove  to 
the  Forum,  and  there  saluted  her  husband  as  king. 

3 


J 


22  HISTORY  OF  ROME. 

As  she  was  returning  home,  something  in  the  road 
prevented  the  horses  from  moving  on.  The  dead 
body  of  her  father  lay  on  the  ground  before  her. 
“ Do  you  fear  to  drive  over  the  dead?  ” exclaimed 
Tullia  to  the  charioteer:  “ go  on.”  The  man  went 
on,  and  the  blood  of  the  poor  old  king  dyed  the 
wheels  of  the  chariot,  and  even  stained  the  clothes 
of  his  inhuman  daughter.  Years  afterwards  that 
horrible  action  was  still  remembered  by  the  Ro- 
mans. They  called  the  street  in  which  it  had  been 
committed  the  “ wicked  street.” 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

TARQUINIUS  SUPERBUS, 

SEVENTH  KING  OF  ROME,  B.  C.  535. 

g C.  1.  Tarquin  the  Second  is  said  to 

535  510.  have  been  named  Superbus,  or  the 

Proud,  because  of  an  insolent  and  cruel 
speech  which  he  made  directly  after  he  came  to  the 
throne.  He  was  asked  to  allow  the  body  of  Servius 
to  be  buried  like  that  of  a prince,  but  he  answered 
that  Romulus  had  no  funeral  and  therefore  Servius 
required  none.  Certainly  no  one  could  have  ex- 
pected any  thing  good  from  a person  who  had  com- 
mitted a dreadful  crime  in  order  to  gain  the  throne, 
and  the  Romans  soon  found  that  Tarquin  was  a 
complete  tyrant.  He  treated  both  the  patricians 
and  the  plebeians  most  severely;  and  the  poor  people 
were  obliged  to  work  so  hard  at  the  different  build- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


23 


ings  which  he  chose  to  have  erected,  that  many  of 
them  killed  themselves,  whilst  several  of  the  rich 
and  noble  left  Rome,  and  went  to  Gabii,  a city  a few 
miles  from  Rome,  the  inhabitants  of  which  were 
enemies  of  Tarquin.  One  of  Tarquin’s  chief  build- 
ings was  a temple  of  the  god  Jupiter.  It  was  placed 
upon  a hill  in  the  middle  of  the  city,  and  as  the 
workmen  were  digging  the  foundations  of  this  tem- 
ple they  found  a human  head  not  at  all  decayed, 
which  was  thought  to  be  a great  prodigy,  and  a 
sign  that  the  place  would  some  day  become  the 
head  of  the  world.  From  hence  the  temple  and  the 
hill  were  called  the  Capitol,  because  of  the  Latin 
word,  caput,  which  means  a head.  Other  buildings 
were  afterwards  placed  there,  but  none  so  handsome 
as  the  temple  of  Jupiter,  with  its  bronze  gates  and 
gilt  ceilings.  Nor  was  there  any  part  of  their  city, 
which  the  people  of  Rome  from  that  time  looked 
upon  with  more  reverence  than  the  Capitol. 

2.  There  were  some  strange  books  kept  in  this 
temple  of  Jupiter  on  the  Capitoline  hill.  They 
were  said  to  have  been  brought  to  Tarquin  by  a 
sibyl  or  prophetess,  who  offered  to  let  him  have  nine 
books  for  three  hundred  pieces  of  gold.  This 
seemed  a large  sum  of  money  to  give,  and  the  king 
refused.  The  woman  went  away,  but  after  some 
time  she  returned  again,  saying  she  had  burnt  three, 
but  the  king  might  have  the  remaining  six  for  the 
same  money.  Tarquin  would  not  listen  to  her,  and 
she  again  left  him.  But  a third  time  she  came,  with 
only  three  of  the  books,  and  still  she  asked  for  three 
hundred  pieces  of  gold. 

3.  The  king  was  persuaded  then  to  examine  them 
more,  and  he  consulted  his  senate  as  to  whether  he 
should  keep  them.  They  were  found  to  be  prophe- 


24 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


cies  about  Rome,  and  were  thought  to  be  of  great 
value;  and  the  woman  having  received  the  money, 
soon  after  disappeared,  though  not  till  she  had 
warned  the  Romans  to  keep  the  books  very  care- 
fully. The  three  volumes  were  called  the  Sibylline 
books.  Two  persons  were  appointed  to  take  care 
of  them,  and  the  Romans  always  consulted  them  in 
any  time  of  difficulty,  to  find  out  from  them,  if  pos- 
sible, what  was  going  to  happen  and  what  they 
ought  to  do. 

4.  But  Tarquin  did  not  occupy  himself  only  in 
erecting  beautiful  buildings  at  Rome;  he  carried  on 
several  wars  with  the  neighboring  states,  especially 
with  the  Volscians,  and  generally  speaking  he  was 
victorious.  The  city  which  it  gave  him  the  most 
trouble  to  conquer  was  Gabii,  for  he  laid  siege  to  it 
but  could  not  take  it,  and  at  last  he  formed  a plan 
for  getting  possession  of  it  by  treachery. 

5.  His  son  Sextus  went  to  Gabii,  and  told  the 
people  that  he  had  been  ill-treated  by  his  father,  and 
was  come  to  them  for  protection.  The  Gabines  re- 
ceived him  kindly,  and  Sextus  lived  amongst  them, 
and  learned  all  their  schemes,  and  was  even  allowed 
to  head  their  troops:  still  he  did  not  quite  know 
how  to  betray  the  city  into  his  father’s  hands.  He 
therefore  sent  a messenger  secretly  to  Rome  to  ask 
the  king’s  advice.  Tarquin  was  walking  in  his  gar- 
den when  the  man  arrived.  He  was  afraid  to  trust 
him  with  an  answer  in  words,  so  he  walked  on  as  if 
he  was  thinking  what  to  reply.  There  were  a great 
many  poppies  in  the  garden,  and  whenever  he  came 
near  to  a tall  one  he  knocked  off  its  head.  After  a 
time  he  turned  to  the  messenger,  and  said,  “ I have 
no  answer  to  give  my  son,  but  tell  him  how  you 
have  seen  me  employed.”  Sextus  was  quick  at  un- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


25 


derstanding;  and  when  the  man  repeated  to  him 
what  he  had  seen,  he  knew  that  his  father  meant 
him  by  degrees  to  have  all  the  chief  persons  in 
Gabii  killed  who  were  enemies  to  Rome.  This  he 
managed  to  do  in  different  ways,  by  accusing  some 
of  them  falsely,  and  causing  others  to  be  murdered 
secretly;  and  then,  when  the  bravest  citizens  were 
gone,  the  others  consented  to  submit  to  the  Romans. 

6.  All  these  stories  about  Tarquin  prove  what  a 
wicked  person  he  must  have  been.  His  conscience, 
no  doubt,  told  him  that  he  deserved  punishment,  for 
he  was  always  foreboding  evil  to  himself  or  his  fam- 
ily. He  was  a great  believer  in  dreams  and 
omens,  and  at  last  became  so  frightened  at  having 
seen  what  he  thought  bad  omens,  that  he  determined 
to  send  to  the  oracle  at  Delphi  to  know  what  they 
meant. 

7.  Delphi  was  a city  in  Greece.  There  was  a 
very  famous  temple  in  it  dedicated  to  the  god 
Apollo.  The  priestess  of  this  temple  was  supposed 
to  have  the  power  of  consulting  the  god,  and  when 
persons  were  in  doubt  upon  any  point  of  great  im- 
portance, they  used  to  send  questions  to  the  priestess 
and  receive  an  answer.  Two  of  Tarquin’s  sons 
went  to  consult  the  oracle,  and  they  took  with  them 
a young  man  named  Junius  Brutus,  who  was  their 
cousin.  Brutus  had  suffered  a great  deal  from  Tar- 
quin’s cruelty.  One  of  his  near  relations  was  killed 
by  the  king’s  order,  in  the  early  part  of  the  reign, 
and  Brutus  himself  only  escaped  by  pretending  to 
be  a dull,  stupid  person,  almost  an  idiot.  He  was 
really  however  very  clever  and  superior,  and  hated 
Tarquin’s  tyranny,  and  was  always  hoping  and 
watching  for  some  opportunity  to  free  his  country. 
The  young  men  delivered  the  king’s  question  to  the 


26 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


oracle  at  Delphi,  and  when  the  answer  was  given, 
prepared  to  return  home.  But  before  they  set  off, 
they  had  an  earnest  desire  to  ask  one  question  for 
themselves:  Who  was  to  be  king  of  Rome  after  the 
death  of  Tarquin?  The  answers  of  the  oracle  were 
seldom  given  very  clearly;  they  could  generally  be 
understood  two  ways,  but  the  reply  which  was  made 
to  this  inquiry  seemed  very  plain.  “ He  who  first 
kisses  his  mother  shall  be  king,”  said  the  oracle. 
Of  course  Tarquin’s  sons  had  no  doubt  of  the 
meaning;  but  Brutus  had  no  mother  living,  yet  he 
treasured  up  the  answer  in  his  memory;  and  when 
he  again  landed  in  Italy,  he  fell  down  and  kissed  the 
earth,  which  was  considered  in  those  times  the  com- 
mon mother  of  all  men. 

8.  No  doubt  this  visit  to  Delphi  made  Brutus 
think  more  than  ever  whether  it  might  not  be  possi- 
ble some  day  to  free  his  country,  and  become  a great 
man  himself;  but  perhaps  he  might  never  have  re- 
belled against  Tarquin  if  it  had  not  been  for  a cir- 
cumstance which  made  not  only  Brutus  but  all  the 
chief  persons  in  Rome  furiously  angry  with  the 
king’s  family.  This  was  the  exceedingly  cruel,  in- 
sulting behavior  of  Sextus  Tarquin,  to  a very  beauti- 
ful, amiable  lady  named  Lucretia,  the  wife  of  Cella- 
tinus,  a Roman  general. 

9.  The  Romans  used  to  think  that  it  was  much 
more  noble  to  die  than  to  live  in  disgrace;  they  did 
not  know  that  self-murder  is  a great  crime;  and 
Lucretia  was  so  distressed  at  the  insulting  conduct 
of  Sextus  that  she  resolved  to  kill  herself.  She 
sent  a message  to  her  husband  and  her  father,  who 
were  both  with  Tarquin  and  his  army,  besieging  a 
town  called  Ardea,  begging  them  to  come  to  her 
directly,  and  bring  each  a friend  with  him.  Lucre- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


2 7 


tius,  her  father,  and  Collatinus  set  oft  instantly  for 
Collatia,  the  place  where  Lucretia  lived,  and  took 
with  them  Junius  Brutus  and  Valerius,  a person 
more  looked  up  to  at  that  time  than  any  one  in 
Rome.  On  their  arrival,  Lucretia  told  them  of 
the  insult  she  had  received,  and  made  them  swear 
solemnly  that  they  would  avenge  her.  Then  taking 
a dagger,  which  she  had  hidden  in  her  dress,  she 
plunged  it  into  her  body,  and  died. 

10.  Brutus  drew  forth  the  dagger,  and  vowed 
that  he  would  kill  Sextus,  and  drive  the  family  of 
the  Tarquins  from  Rome.  The  next  day  he  col- 
lected a number  of  his  friends  and  marched  to 
Rome.  There  he  called  the  people  together,  and 
informed  them  of  the  ill-conduct  of  Sextus  and  the 
death  of  Lucretia.  The  story  caused  the  greatest 
indignation.  The  Romans  determined  immediately 
to  make  peace  with  Ardea,  and  expel  Tarquin  from 
the  throne,  and  the  senate  and  people  with  one  con- 
sent swore  that  there  should  never  be  another  king 
in  Rome. 

11.  Tarquin  soon  heard  of  the  rebellion  against 
him;  but  he  had  no  power  to  stop  it,  for  he  had  no 
friends  to  take  his  part.  He  escaped  with  two  of 
his  sons,  and  took  refuge  in  a neighboring  city;  but 
Sextus  fled  to  Gabii,  where  he  was  killed. 

12.  This  was  the  end  of  the  kings  of  Rome. 
Probably  there  were  more  kings  than  we  have  any 
account  of,  for  the  stories  which  are  told  of  them  are 
very  confused. 


28 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  REPUBLIC. 

CONSULS  FIRST  CHOSEN,  B.  C.  510. 

B.  C.  510.  I-  When  Tarquin  and  his  family  were 
sent  away  from  Rome,  Junius  Brutus 
was  left  to  be  the  chief  ruler,  but  he  could  not  call 
himself  king  because  of  the  vow  which  he  had  made, 
that  there  should  be  no  more  kings.  He  said  he 
should  wish  to  have  some  one  to  help  him  gov- 
ern, and  the  person  chosen  was  Collatinus,  the  hus- 
band of  Lucretia.  The  Romans  had  two  chief  rulers 
for  a great  many  years  after  this.  They  were  named 
Consuls.  This  kind  of  government,  when  there  are 
no  kings,  but  only  magistrates  chosen  by  the  people, 
is  called  a Republic. 

2.  Tarquin  did  not  rest  contented  when  he  lost 
his  thone.  He  determined  to  try  and  regain  it,  and 
as  a beginning  he  sent  persons  to  Rome  to  claim  the 
property  which  he  said  belonged  to  him.  These 
ambassadors  were  allowed  to  lodge  in  the  city. 
There  they  began  to  contrive  plots  for  his  return, 
and  persuaded  two  of  the  sons  of  Brutus,  and  some 
nephews  of  Collatinus,  to  join  with  them.  A slave 
overheard  their  plans  as  they  were  talking  about 
them  at  a banquet,  and  he  went  and  told  the  consuls. 
Brutus  was  a very  stern,  determined  man,  and  he  did 
not  refuse  to  sit  upon  the  judgment-seat  to  try  his 
own  children  and  pass  sentence  upon  them.  The 
young  men  were  brought  into  the  Forum,  and  the 
lictors,  or  officers  of  justice,  stood  as  guards  around 
them.  These  lictors  carried  sach  a bundle  of  rods, 
called  fasces,  with  an  axe  in  the  middle,  as  a mark 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


29 


of  their  office.  Brutus  spoke  to  his  sons  as  if  they 
had  been  strangers  in  whom  he  had  no  interest.  He 
bade  them  defend  themselves  if  they  had  any  excuse 
to  give,  but  the  unhappy  young  men  had  none. 
“ Lictors,”  exclaimed  Brutus,  “ do  your  duty.” 
And  the  lictors  seizing  upon  his  two  sons,  scourged 
them  first  and  then  beheaded  them.  The  Romans 
wondered  at  this  dreadful  action,  but  they  felt  that 
it  was  strictly  just,  and  they  praised  Brutus  and  hon- 
ored him  for  it. 

3.  Collatinus  was  not  consul  very  long.  It  was 
thought  that  he  was  inclined  to  favor  Tarquin,  who 
was  his  relation,  and  he  was  therefore  obliged  to 
give  up  his  office,  and  another  patrician  was  made 
consul  in  his  stead. 

4.  Tarquin  now  found  that  there  was  no  hope  of 
regaining  his  throne  without  help,  and  he  therefore 
persuaded  the  people  of  Veii  and  another  little  state 
to  assist  him.  He  and  his  son  Aruns  took  the  com- 
mand of  an  army  and  declared  war  against  Rome. 
The  Roman  consuls  marched  out  against  them,  and 
there  was  a terrible  battle.  Aruns  saw  Brutus  in  the 
distance  appearing  in  great  state  with  guards  and 
attendants,  as  if  he  had  been  a king;  and  being  ex- 
ceedingly enraged  at  the  sight,  spurred  his  horse 
towards  him,  exclaiming,  “There  he  is! — the  enemy 
of  my  family! — the  usurper  of  my  father's  throne!  ” 
Brutus  was  no  less  brave  than  Aruns;  he  rushed 
against  him,  and  the  two  enemies  met  with  such  fury 
that  both  fell  dead  upon  the  ground,  each  pierced  by 
the  spear  of  the  other.  The  battle  lasted  till  even- 
ing, but  neither  party  would  allow  that  they  were 
conquered. 

5.  There  was  great  sorrow  in  Rome  that  night, 
for  Brutus  had  been  loved  and  honored  by  all  men. 


30 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


They  laid  his  body  in  the  Forum,  and  the  noble  Va- 
lerius stood  beside  it  and  proclaimed  to  the  people 
all  the  glorious  actions  he  had  performed.  The  Ro- 
man women  mourned  his  loss  for  twelve  months, 
and,  in  after  years,  his  statue,  with  a drawn  sword 
in  his  hand,  was  placed  in  the  Capitol  in  the  midst 
of  the  kings  of  Rome. 

6.  Valerius  himself  was  the  chief  person  in  Rome, 
now  that  Brutus  was  dead.  He  was  made  consul, 
and  was  called  Poplicola,  or  pleaser  of  the  people. 
The  people  were  at  one  time  afraid  that  he  intended 
to  make  himself  king,  because  he  began  building  a 
very  beautiful  house  for  himself  on  the  top  of  a high 
hill;  but  when  Valerius  heard  what  they  suspected, 
he  appeared  before  the  great  meeting  of  the  people, 
which  was  called  “ the  Assembly  of  the  Curia,”  in 
a very  humble  way,  and  assured  them  he  did  not  in- 
tend to  do  any  thing  of  the  kind,  and  he  afterwards 
showed  that  he  was  in  earnest,  by  doing  every  thing 
he  could  to  keep  the  government  just  as  it  was. 

7.  All  this  time  Tarquin  had  not  given  up  the 
idea  of  returning  to  be  king.  He  went  to  Porsenna, 
who  ruled  over  Clusium,  one  of  the  Italian  states, 
and  begged  him  to  be  his  friend.  Porsenna  agreed, 
and  raised  an  immense  army,  which  he  led  himself 
against  Rome.  The  Romans  placed  soldiers  upon 
a hill  near  the  city  to  defend  it,  but  Porsenna  drove 
them  from  it,  and  followed  them  to  the  banks  of  the 
river  Tiber,  which  flowed  between  this  hill  and  the 
city.  There  was  a bridge  across  the  river,  ‘which 
the  Romans  fled  over  as  quickly  as  they  could.  But 
three  very  brave  men  determined  to  fight  to  the 
last.  One  of  them  was  called  Horatius  Codes. 
It  was  his  duty  to  guard  the  bridge,  and  he  knew 
that  if  he  left  it,  Porsenna  and  his  army  would 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


31 


cross  over  it,  and  take  possession  of  Rome.  He 
stood  with  his  two  companions  in  front  of  the 
bridge,  fighting,  desperately,  whilst  the  rest  of  the 
Roman  soldiers  crossed  safely.  Then  Horatius 
called  out  to  them  to  break  it  down,  and  so  prevent 
Porsenna  from  following,  and  still  he  and  his  two 
comrades  fought  on,  whilst  the  workmen  knocked 
the  bridge  to  pieces.  The  companions  of  Horatius 
escaped  before  it  was  quite  destroyed.  At  length 
there  was  a great  shout,  and  the  last  piece  of  the 
bridge  fell  crashing  into  the  water. 

8.  Then  Horatius  himself  plunged  into  the  river. 
He  is  said  to  have  prayed  to  the  god  of  the  river  to 
protect  him.  Perhaps  he  did  pray  to  the  god,  he 
did  not  know  any  better;  but  the  True  God  guarded 
him,  and  we  may  believe  forgave  his  ignorance,  and 
was  pleased  with  him  for  risking  his  own  life  to  save 
his  fellow-creatures. 

9.  Porsenna’s  soldiers  cast  a shower  of  darts 
against  him,  but  he  was  saved  from  all  dangers,  and 
reached  the  opposite  shore  unhurt.  His  country- 
men watched  him  with  the  greatest  anxiety,  and  set 
up  a loud  shout  of  delight  as  he  landed,  and  the  sen- 
ate and  people  afterwards  caused  a statue  to  be 
erected  to  his  honour,  and  gave  him  a grant  of 
land  as  a sign  of  their  gratitude. 

10.  But  though  the  Romans  had  escaped  better 
than  they  expected  in  this  instance,  they  were  still 
in  great  peril,  for  Porsenna’s  troops  surrounded 
the  city,  and  they  could  get  no  food  from  the  coun- 
try, and  all  which  they  had  with  them  was  fast  being 
consumed.  They  were  very  hard  pressed  by  famine, 
but  even  then  they  did  not  forget  their  gratitude  to 
Horatius  Codes,  for  they  all  provided  him  with  as 
much  food  as  they  could  spare.  At  last  it  was  de- 


32 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


termined  to  try  and  kill  Porsenna  treacherously. 
Mutius,  a young  man  of  high  birth,  offered  to  dis- 
guise himself  and  go  to  Porsenna’s  camp  for  this 
purpose,  and  as  he  could  speak  the  same  language 
as  Porsenna,  he  thought  he  should  not  be  found  out. 

11.  Mutius  did  not  know  Porsenna  by  sight,  and 
when  he  reached  the  camp,  he  saw  a person  splen- 
didly dressed  arranging  some  business  with  his  sol- 
diers. This  he  thought  must  be  the  king.  Pie 
went  up  to  him  directly  and  stabbed  him.  The  next 
instant  he  was  seized  by  the  soldiers,  and  carried 
before  their  lord.  “Hateful  assassin!’’  exclaimed 
Porsenna,  “who  art  thou?”  “I  am  a Roman,” 
replied  Mutius:  “my  design  was  to  deliver  Rome 
from  her  greatest  enemy.”  The  words  were  spoken 
calmly  without  any  sign  of  fear,  and  Porsenna  was 
amazed.  He  had  never  seen  such  boldness  before. 
He  warned  the  young  Roman  that  he  would  be 
punished  for  his  treachery  by  being  burned  to  death. 
Mutius  thrust  his  right  hand  into  a fire  which  burnt 
near  him,  and  held  it  there  unmoved.  This  last 
mark  of  courage  softened  the  king’s  anger.  He 
rose  up,  and  in  the  presence  of  all,  gave  Mutius  his 
forgiveness,  and  bade  him  return  in  peace.  From 
this  time  Mutius  was  called  Scaevola,  or  left-handed. 
His  right  hand  was  useless. 

12.  Mutius  was  grateful  to  Porsenna,  and  before 
he  left  the  camp  told  him  that  it  would  be  well  to 
make  peace  with  Rome,  as  three  hundred  Romans 
had  taken  an  oath  to  kill  him,  if  Mutius  himself 
did  not  do  so.  This,  of  course,  alarmed  Porsenna, 
and  he  began  really  to  think  of  proposing  peace. 
He  wished  the  Romans  to  consent  that  Tarquin 
should  return,  but  no  one  would  hear  of  this,  and 
he  was  forced  to  give  up  the  point.  He  obliged 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


33 


them,  however,  to  restore  some  lands  which  they 
had  taken,  and  to  give  him  hostages,  that  he  might 
be  certain  of  the  agreement  which  was  made  being 
properly  kept. 

13.  These  hostages  were  persons  of  rank,  both 
men  and  women.  They  were  delivered  up  to  Por- 
senna  with  the  promise  of  being  well  treated,  if 
the  Romans  did  all  they  had  promised  to  do;  but  if 
they  broke  their  word  the  hostages  were  to  be  pun- 
ished. 

14.  One  of  the  hostages  was  a beautiful  young 
girl  named  Cloelia,  who  was  too  proud  to  bear  being 
a prisoner,  and,  therefore,  swam  across  the  Tiber 
and  escaped.  All  the  other  ladies  followed  her  ex- 
ample. They  were  sent  back  to  Porsenna,  who  be- 
haved as  nobly  to  them  as  he  had  done  to  Mutius. 
He  forgave  Cloelia,  and  allowed  her  to  go  back  to 
Rome  with  any  of  her  companions  whom  she  chose 
to  take  with  her. 

15.  After  this  Porsenna  departed  from  Rome 
with  his  army. 

16.  It  is  said  that  Tarquin  fought  once  more 
against  the  Romans  in  a great  battle  at  Lake  Re- 
gillus  in  Tusculum.  He  was  not  the  chief  in  com- 
mand then,  for  the  battle  was  between  the  Romans 
and  several  other  states,  and  Tarquin  only  joined 
with  them.  Roman  writers  give  wonderful  accounts 
of  this  battle,  and  declare  that  two  young  men,  like 
giants,  were  seen  riding  on  white  horses,  and  fight- 
ing for  the  Romans,  and  that  before  the  battle  was 
over  they  appeared  at  Rome  and  told  the  people 
that  their  side  had  gained  the  victory.  The  Ro- 
mans were  very  ready  to  believe  wonderful  stories, 
particularly  if  they  were  for  their  own  credit. 

17.  It  is  generally  believed  that  Tarquin  escaped 


34 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


alive  from  the  battle  of  Regillus,  and  went  to  live 
at  Cuma.with  the  prince  of  that  place,  who  was  his 
friend.  He  must  have  been  about  ninety  years  old 
when  he  died. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  INSURRECTION  OF  THE  PLEBEIANS, 

BROKE  OUT,  B.  C.  495. 

B.  C.  495.  !•  The  history  of  Rome,  for  some  time 

after  the  war  with  Porsenna,  is  not  so 
much  about  wars  with  other  states  as  about  the 
people  themselves.  The  proud  patricians  tried 
more  and  more  to  gain  power,  and  the  plebeians  tried 
to  prevent  them  from  doing  so.  Probably,  if  the 
patricians  had  been  kind  to  the  poor,  they  might 
have  governed  without  much  difficulty;  but  they 
were  very  selfish,  and  the  plebeians  grew  worse  off 
every  year. 

2.  The  great  cause  of  the  sufferings  of  the  plebe- 
ians was  that  the  laws  concerning  debt  were  ex- 
tremely hard.  Many  of  the  plebeians  were  very  poor, 
and  were  obliged  to  borrow  money  to  enable  them 
to  live.  If  a poor  man  was  not  able  to  pay  his 
debt,  he  was  given  over  to  his  creditor  as  a slave, 
and  was  bound  with  chains  and  thrown  into  prison, 
or  treated  very  cruelly  in  other  ways. 

3.  When  the  Romans  went  to  war,  all  the  treas- 
ures which  were  taken  were  given  to  the  patricians 
— the  plebeians  had  none;  yet  still  they  were  forced 
to  fight,  and  were  often  taken  out  of  a dungeon  and 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  35 

sent  to  battle,  and  put  in  prison  again  when  the 
war  was  over. 

4.  This  made  the  plebeians  so  angry,  that  when 
there  was  a war  with  the  Volscians,  b.  c.  495,  they 
refused  to  fight  at  all.  It  was  one  particularly  hard 
case  which  made  them  take  this  resolution.  One 
day,  a poor  old  man  rushed  into  the  Forum,  looking 
exceedingly  thin  and  ill,  and  with  marks  of  stripes 
upon  his  back,  and  told  the  people  a dreadful  tale  of 
all  he  had  suffered.  He  said  he  had  served  in  the 
wars  often;  but  whilst  he  was  away  his  farm  was 
burnt,  and  he  was,  in  consequence,  forced  to  borrow 
money  to  pay  his  taxes;  and  then,  because  he  could 
not  repay  it,  he  had  been  sold  as  a slave. 

5.  Just  at  that  moment  news  was  brought  that 
the  Volscians  were  coming  near  the  city.  The  ple- 
beians with  one  consent  declared  that  nothing 
should  persuade  them  to  go  out  to  battle;  they  would 
not  fight  for  the  rich  who  oppressed  them.  This 
was  very  alarming,  especially  to  the  consuls,  who 
had  the  command  of  the  armies.  One  of  them, 
named  Servilius,  took  the  poor  people’s  part,  and 
promised  them,  that  if  they  would  only  fight  this 
time,  they  should  be  treated  much  better  afterwards. 
The  other  consul  was  a severe  man,  and  would  do 
nothing  for  them.  The  people,  however,  believed 
what  Servilius  said.  They  went  against  the  Vol- 
scians, and  defeated  them,  but  when  they  came  back 
to  Rome,  the  other  consul  seized  upon  all  who  were 
in  debt,  and  put  them  in  prison  just  the  same  as 
before. 

6.  This  naturally  enough  made  the  case  worse 
than  it  was  at  first.  Some  of  the  rich  patricians,  in- 
deed, tried  to  help  the  plebeians,  but  they  could  not 
succeed  in  having  their  laws  altered;  and  the  pie- 


36 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


beians,  being  quite  in  despair,  used  to  hold  secret 
meetings  and  plot  how  to  free  themselves.  At 
length  they  agreed  together  to  leave  Rome  entirely. 
A leader  was  chosen,  and  they  all  went  forth  and 
stationed  themselves  upon  a hill  at  some  little  dis- 
tance from  the  city. 

7.  The  senators  and  patricians  saw  now  how 
wrongly  and  foolishly  they  had  been  acting,  and 
they  sent  Menenius  Agrippa  with  ten  men  to  the 
plebeians  to  propose  to  make  peace  with  them. 
Agrippa  was  very  clever  in  persuading  by  talking, 
and  he  told  the  people  a fable  in  order  to  convince 
them  that  they  were  doing  as  much  harm  to  them- 
selves by  rebelling  as  they  were  to  the  patricians. 

8.  “ Once  upon  a time,”  he  said,  “ all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  body  took  it  into  their  heads  not  to 
work  for  the  stomach,  because  they  declared  it  was 
idle  and  useless.  So  the  hand  would  not  bring  food 
to  the  mouth,  and  the  mouth  would  not  receive 
any,  and  the  teeth  would  not  chew,  and  the  stomach 
starved.  But  whilst  the  stomach  was  starving  all 
the  members  were  wasting  away,  and  at  last  they 
discovered  that  by  killing  the  stomach  they  were 
killing  themselves.” 

9.  The  plebeians  were  much  struck  by  the  fable, 
and  consented  to  go  back  to  the  city.  But  before 
they  went  it  was  agreed  that  all  persons  who  had 
been  made  slaves  for  debts  should  be  set  free,  and 
that  from  thenceforth  the  plebeians  should  have 
officers  of  their  own  to  take  charge  of  their  affairs 
and  protect  them.  These  officers  were  to  be  chosen 
every  year,  and  called  Tribunes.  There  were  two 
at  first,  but  afterwards  more  were  appointed.  They 
were  allowed  to  forbid  or  prevent  any  law  which  the 
senators  were  inclined  to  make  that  could  injure 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


37 


the  plebeians,  and  their  persons  were  considered 
sacred;  that  is,  it  was  made  a very  great  crime  to 
strike  them  or  do  them  any  bodily  harm.  When 
all  these  things  were  settled  the  plebeians  returned 
to  Rome,  hoping  that  for  the  future  they  should 
have  rest  and  comfort. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

CAIUS  MARCIUS  CORIOLANUS, 

IN  EXILE,  B.  C.  491. 

B.  C.  491.  I-  The  next  thing  which  we  hear  of  the 
plebeians  makes  us  feel  that  they  were 
still  in  danger  of  being  hardly  treated.  There  was 
a great  famine  in  Rome  about  the  year  491  b.  c., 
and  of  course  the  poor  were  those  who  felt  it  most. 
Gelo,  king  of  Sicily,  heard  of  their  distress,  we  are 
told,  and  sent  the  Roman  senators  a quantity  of  corn 
to  give  to  the  people;  but  there  was  one  senator  who 
was  not  willing  to  help  them,  unless  they  would  con- 
sent not  to  have  tribunes  to  protect  them  any  longer. 
This  senator’s  name  was  Caius  Marcius  Coriolanus. 
He  was  a brave  man,  but  extremely  proud;  and  he 
thought  the  people  were  getting  too  much  power, 
and  that  this  was  a good  opportunity  of  putting  a 
stop  to  it. 

2.  The  tribunes  were  very  angry  when  they  heard 
what  Coriolanus  had  proposed.  They  accused  him 
of  treason  against  his  country;  and  Coriolanus,  in- 
stead of  waiting  to  be  tried,  left  Rome,  and  set  off 
4 


38 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


for  Antium,  a city  belonging  to  the  Volscians.  He 
arrived  there  late  in  the  evening,  and  immediately 
went  to  the  house  of  Attius  Tullius,  a powerful  Vol- 
scian  chief.  There  was  one  room  in  heathen  houses 
which  was  considered  as  peculiarly  belonging  to  the 
household  gods,  or  lares,  and  all  persons  who  en- 
tered it  were  safe.  Coriolanus  went  directly  to  this 
room,  and  sat  down, — and  after  a time  Attius  came 
to  him.  Coriolanus  had  been  an  enemy  of  the  Vol- 
scians before;  he  had  even  fought  against  them; 
yet  Attius  did  not  for  this  reason  revenge  himself 
upon  him,  now  that  he  was  in  distress,  but  received 
him  most  kindly.  War  was  soon  declared  between 
the  Volscians  and  Romans,  and  Coriolanus  was 
made  chief  of  the  Volscian  army,  and  led  it  towards 
Rome.  The  senators  knew  how  brave  he  was,  and 
how  skilful  as  a general,  and  they  were  afraid,  and 
sent  ambassadors  to  him  begging  him  to  spare  his 
country.  But  Coriolanus  received  the  ambassadors 
proudly,  and  would  not  listen  to  them.  The  sena- 
tors sent  a second  time,  and  still  the  ambassadors 
were  treated  with  scorn.  At  length  Veturia,  the 
mother  of  Coriolanus,  and  Volumnia,  his  wife,  de- 
termined to  try  if  they  could  prevail.  They  took 
the  children  of  Coriolanus  with  them,  and  set  out 
for  the  camp  of  the  Volscians,  accompanied  by  sev- 
eral other  Roman  ladies.  Coriolanus  received  them 
with  a great  deal  of  affection;  but  when  he  heard 
that  they  were  come  to  beg  for  peace,  he  said  that 
it  would  be  impossible  to  grant  it,  for  he  was  fight- 
ing now  for  the  Volscians,  and  he  must  do  what  was 
best  for  them.  “ My  son,”  exclaimed  Veturia, 
“can  you  refuse  my  wish?  If  I cannot  persuade 
you,  I have  resolved  to  die  in  your  presence.  You 
shall  not  march  to  Rome  without  treading  on  the 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


39 


dead  body  of  your  mother.”  Then  bursting  into 
tears,  she  threw  herself  at  his  feet.  His  wife  and 
children  did  the  same.  Coriolanus  could  no  longer 
refuse.  He  turned  to  Veturia,  saying,  “ Mother, 
thou  hast  saved  Rome,  but  lost  thy  son.” 

3.  Veturia  went  back  to  Rome,  happy  at  having 
done  such  service  to  her  country;  but  she  never  saw 
her  son  again.  Coriolanus  returned  with  the  army 
of  the  VoLscians  to  their  own  state,  and  there  re- 
mained till  his  death.  Some  persons  say  that  he 
lived  to  be  an  old  man;  some  declare  that  he  was 
soon  after  killed  by  the  Volscians;  and  others  have 
thought  that  he  died  of  grief,  for  having  been  per- 
suaded to  do  what  he  felt  was  unfair  to  the  people 
whose  army  he  commanded. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

CINCINNATUS, 

DICTATOR,  B.  C.  458. 

B.  C.  458.  !•  The  Romans  appear  scarcely  ever  to 

have  had  peace,  either  at  home  or 
abroad.  As  soon  as  one  dispute  between  the  patri- 
cians and  plebeians  was  ended  another  began. 
They  were  always  quarrelling  now  about  the  power 
of  the  tribunes,  which  the  patricians  said  was  much 
greater  than  it  ought  to  be;  and  the  only  time  when 
they  seemed  inclined  to  agree  was  when  they  were 
at  war  with  some  other  state.  Then  they  were 
obliged  to  be  friends  and  fight  for  their  country, 
or  their  enemies  would  have  ruined  them  both. 


40 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


2.  About  the  year  458  b.  c.,  one  of  these  wars 
broke  out,  which  is  particularly  to  be  remembered 
on  account  of  a famous  general  called  Cincinnatus, 
or  the  curly-haired,  who  is  said  to  have  distin- 
guished himself  very  much  in  it. 

3.  The  war  was  carried  on  against  the  /Equi,  the 
inhabitants  of  one  of  the  small  Italian  states.  The 
consul  Minucius,  who  commanded  the  Roman  army, 
unfortunately  led  his  soldiers  to  a place  where  they 
were  in  great  danger,  for  the  ^Equi  surrounded  them 
on  all  sides,  and  no  one  was  near  to  help  them. 
Some  horsemen,  however,  contrived  to  gallop  back 
to  Rome  without  being  taken,  and  told  the  senate 
of  the  peril  the  army  was  in,  and  entreated  that'  as- 
sistance might  be  granted  them  directly.  The 
senate  were  in  great  alarm,  for  both  the  consuls  were 
absent,  and  the  only  person  they  could  think  of  to 
give  them  advice,  or  command  the  soldiers  whom 
they  might  be  able  to  sead,  was  Quinctius  Cincin- 
natus. 

4.  About  two  years  before  Cincinnatus  had  left 
Rome,  indignant  at  a punishment  which  was  in- 
flicted upon  his  son,  Casso,  a proud,  insolent  young 
man,  who  was  constantly  ill-treating  the  plebeians, 
and  had  even  insulted  one  of  the  tribunes.  Casso 
did  not  deserve  much  affection  from  his  father,  but 
Cincinnatus  could  not  help  feeling  for  him,  because 
he  was  his  son;  and  when  the  young  man  was 
obliged  to  go  into  exile,  Cincinnatus  left  Rome  him- 
self, and  went  to  live  at  a little  farm  on  the  banks 
of  the  Tiber,  at  a distance  from  all  his  former 
friends.  Cseso  did  not  live  long  after  his  punish- 
ment; he  wickedly  joined  a large  army  of  exiles  and 
runaway  slaves,  and  tried  to  take  possession  of  the 
capitol;  but  they  were  all  either  killed  or  forced  to 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


4* 


retire;  and  Cseso,  it  is  supposed,  was  amongst  the 
number  of  the  slain. 

5.  Cincinnatus  appeared  once  more  at  Rome 
after  the  death  of  his  son,  upon  being  chosen  con- 
sul; but  when  his  office  was  over,  he  returned  again 
to  his  farm.  The  wisdom  he  had  shown  at  that 
time,  and  on  other  occasions,  made  the  senate  con- 
sider him  as  the  only  person  able  to  aid  Minucius 
and  his  army,  in  their  great  difficulty. 

6.  The  messengers  who  were  sent  to  Cincinnatus 
found  him,  as  we  are  told  in  the  old  Roman  legends, 
engaged  in  managing  his  farm.  They  informed  him 
of  the  danger  in  which  the  army  was  placed,  and 
said  that  it  was  the  wish  of  the  senate  to  make  him 
dictator.  Now  the  office  of  a dictator  was  higher  in 
rank  than  even  that  of  a consul.  The  Romans  only 
appointed  one  in  case  of  some  pressing  danger  or 
difficulty.  His  power  was  so  great,  that  every 
thing  and  everybody  were  under  his  control;  but 
his  office  only  lasted  a short  time,  not  more  than 
six  months. 

7.  Cincinnatus  received  the  message  of  the  senate 
without  showing  any  pleasure  at  the  honor  paid 
him.  No  grandeur  could  make  up  to  him  for  the 
loss  of  the  peaceful,  happy  life,  which  he  led  at  his 
little  farm;  but  he  could  not  refuse  to  help  his  coun- 
try at  such  a time,  and  after  taking  leave  of  his  wife 
and  his  quiet  home,  with  sighs  and  deep  regret,  he 
departed. 

8.  As  he  drew  near  the  city  the  senate  sent  a boat 
to  meet  him  and  conduct  him  across  the  Tiber. 
Three  of  his  sons,  his  friends,  and  the  chief  persons 
in  Rome,  waited  to  receive  him  as  he  landed,  and  all 
expressed  the  greatest  delight  at  seeing  him. 

9.  The  first  thing  which  Cincinnatus  did  was  to 


42 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


command  every  man  to  enlist  who  was  able  to  bear 
arms,  and  in  three  days  he  had  collected  a large 
army,  with  which  he  marched  to  the  help  of  the 
consul  Minucius. 

10.  They  arrived  at  Mount  Algidus,  where  the 
consul’s  army  was  stationed,  about  midnight.  Cin- 
cinnatus  placed  his  troops  in  a circle  round  the 
camp  of  the  ^Equi,  and  contrived  to  let  Minucius 
know  that  he  was  come,  and  then  he  burst  forth 
upon  his  enemies.  All  that  night  the  battle  went 
on;  and  when  the  day  began  to  dawn  the  /Equi  saw 
that  they  themselves  were  in  a worse  condition  than 
the  Romans  had  been.  Their  enemies  were  on  all 
sides  of  them,  and  it  was  impossible  to  escape.  A 
message  was  instantly  sent  to  Cincinnatus,  begging 
him  to  spare  them.  The  dictator  ordered  the  chiefs 
of  the  army  to  be  put  in  chains;  the  rest  were  made 
to  pass  under  the  yoke — the  usual  sign  of  being  con- 
quered. 

11.  Cincinnatus  then  returned  to  Rome,  and  was 
received  with  triumph.  A golden  crown  was  given 
him  as  a reward,  but  he  was  not  tempted  by  any 
honors  to  remain  at  Rome;  and  after  he  had  been 
dictator  sixteen  days,  he  gave  up  his  office  and  went 
back  to  his  farm. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


43 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  DECEMVIRI, 

BEGAN  THEIR  TASK,  B.  C.  451. 

B.  C.  451.  !•  We  next  come  to  the  government 

of  the  Decemviri.  Amongst  the  many 
complaints  which  the  plebeians  were  so  often 
making,  one  of  the  chief  was  that  they  wanted  fair 
laws.  As  it  was,  the  consuls  might  treat  them  very 
much  as  they  pleased,  since  there  were  no  just  and 
fixed  laws  for  them  to  go  by. 

2.  For  a long  time  the  plebeians  had  murmured 
about  this,  and  tried  to  prevail  upon  the  patricians 
to  do  something  for  them,  but  nothing  was  arranged 
until  a few  years  after  the  dictatorship  of  Cincinna- 
tus,  when  the  patricians  consented  that  three  sena- 
tors should  be  sent  to  Greece  to  inquire  by  what 
laws  the  people  of  that  country,  and  especially  the 
Athenians,  were  governed,  so  that  they  might  learn 
how  to  improve  the  Roman  laws,  which  were  then 
to  be  written  down  as  fixed  rules;  and  when  these 
senators  came  back,  ten  patricians,  called  from  their 
number,  decemviri,  were  appointed  to  examine  the 
old  Roman  laws,  and  make  such  changes  as  they 
should  think  necessary.  They  began  their  work  in 
the  month  of  May,  in  the  year  b.  c.  451,  and  finished 
it  by  the  next  year.  As  soon  as  it  was  ready,  they 
presented  it  to  the  people,  that  every  one  might 
have  an  opportunity  of  judging  whether  the  laws 
which  were  proposed  were  just  and  fair.  If  any  per- 
son had  an  objection  to  make,  or  an  improvement 
to  recommend,  he  was  invited  to  do  so;  and  when, 
at  last,  the  whole  were  approved,  they  were  en- 


44 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


graved  upon  two  tables  of  brass,  and  hung  up  in 
the  most  public  place  in  the  forum. 

3.  The  decemviri  had  great  power  allowed  them 
whilst  they  were  thus  employed  in  arranging  the 
laws.  There  were  no  consuls,  no  tribunes, — they 
had  the  management  of  every  thing;  but  it  was  sup- 
posed that  when  their  task  was  finished  they  would 
give  up  their  office.  However  they  did  not  seem 
inclined  to  do  this.  On  some  pretence  or  other, 
they  still  kept  the  government  in  their  own  hands; 
and  at  last  both  the  patricians  and  plebeians  grew 
alarmed  for  they  found  that  the  decemviri  were  be- 
coming their  tyrants. 

4.  About  this  time  a war  broke  out  with  two  of 
the  neighboring  states.  Two  large  armies  were 
raised  by  the  Romans,  but  they  were  both  defeated; 
and  the  general  ill-feeling  against  the  government 
was  excited  to  a great  degree  by  an  instance  of 
shocking  injustice  and  cruelty  shown  by  one  of  the 
decemviri  to  a brave  old  soldier,  Siccius  Dentatus. 
Dentatus  did  not  at  all  like  the  decemviri,  and  had 
complained  of  them  very  much.  This  the  decemvir 
who  commanded  the  army  knew,  and  in  order  to  rid 
himself  of  such  an  enemy,  he  sent  him  with  some 
other  soldiers  to  try  and  find  out  a good  place  for  a 
camp.  When  they  came  to  a lonely  part  of  the 
country,  the  soldiers,  according  to  an  order  which 
had  been  given  them,  fell  upon  Dentatus  and  mur- 
dered him.  They  left  his  body,  and  it  was  found 
afterwards,  and  every  one  guessed  the  crime  which 
had  been  committed. 

5.  Appius  Claudius,  another  of  the  decemviri, 
about  the  same  time  behaved  as  wickedly  at  Rome 
as  his  fellow-ruler  did  in  the  camp.  He  was  in  the 
habit  of  passing  through  the  forum  every  day  to  his 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


45 


judgment-seat,  and  on  these  occasions,  often  saw  a 
beautiful  young  lady  named  Virginia,  whom  he  fell 
very  much  in  love  with.  Virginia,  however,  was  en- 
gaged to  be  married  to  Icilius,  who  had  once  been 
a tribune.  She  would  not  see  Appius  or  listen  to 
any  thing  he  had  to  say,  and  at  last  he  determined 
to  carry  her  off  against  her  will.  In  order  to  do 
this  he  practised  a most  wicked  deceit. 

6.  He  ordered  one  of  his  clients,  named  Marcus 
Claudius,  to  seize  Virginia,  and  declare  that  she 
was  his  slave,  and  bring  her  before  himself  that  it 
might  be  judged  whether  she  was  so  or  .not.  He 
meant  then  to  allow  Marcus  to  take  her  away,  and 
afterwards  she  was  to  be  brought  to  his  house;  and 
no  one,  he  knew,  would  be  able  to  interfere. 

7.  This  cruel  order  was  obeyed,  and  on  the  very 
first  opportunity  Marcus  brought  poor  Virginia  be- 
fore Appius,  and  protested  that  she  was  his  slave. 
Virginius,  her  father,  came  with  her.  He  was  a 
soldier  of  the  rank  called  a centurion,  and  had  been 
sent  for  from  the  camp,  at  the  desire  of  Virginia’s 
friends,  when  they  found  what  a falsehood  Marcus 
was  telling.  When  the  trial  began,  Marcus  was 
called  upon  to  prove  that  what  he  said  was  true,  but 
he  could  bring  no  real  proof;  though  he  declared 
that  Virginia  was  the  child  of  one  of  his  slaves,  and 
that  she  had  been  given  to  the  wife  of  Virginius 
when  she  was  a little  infant.  After  hearing  what 
was  to  be  said  on  both  sides,  Appius  determined  to 
put  an  end  to  the  trial;  and  decided,  as  he  always 
intended  to  do,  in  favor  of  Marcus.  The  distress 
and  anger  of  Virginius  exceeded  all  that  can  be  im- 
agined,— for  he  well  knew  why  it  was  that  Appius 
had  given  such  an  unjust  judgment.  He  endeav- 
ored, however,  to  appear  calm,  and  only  requested 


46 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


that  he  might  be  allowed  to  speak  for  a few  mo- 
ments with  his  daughter  alone,  before  she  was  taken 
from  him  forever.  The  permission  was  given,  and 
Virginius  drew  his  daughter  aside.  A knife  was 
lying  upon  a butcher’s  stall  near.  The  unhappy 
father  seized  it,  and  plunged  it  into  the  heart  of  his 
child,  exclaiming,  “ Thus  only  can  I preserve  thy 
liberty  and  honor.” 

8.  Virginius  rushed  back  to  the  camp  with  the 
bloody  knife  in  his  hand,  and  told  to  the  whole  army 
the  wicked  intentions  of  Appius.  The  soldiers  rose 
up  like  one  man,  and  declared  they  would  no  longer 
be  ruled  by  such  tyrants.  They  marched  towards 
Rome,  and  when  the  senators  sent  to  know  what  it 
was  they  wished  for,  they  required  that  the  de- 
cemviri should  be  given  into  their  hands  to  be  burnt 
to  death. 

9.  This,  however,  was  refused,  for  it  was  con- 
sidered too  cruel;  but  all  their  power  was  taken 
away,  and  Appius  himself  was  thrown  into  a dread- 
ful dungeon,  where  he  very  soon  died. 

10.  After  this  the  Romans  returned  to  their  old 
form  of  government  by  consuls  and  tribunes. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


47 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  SIEGE  OF  VEII, 

COMMENCED  B.  C.  405. 

B.  C.  405.  I-  The  next  very  important  event  in 
the  history  of  Rome  is  the  siege  of  Veii. 
The  Romans,  as  we  have  seen,  were  perpetually  at 
war,  and  generally  successful.  Their  dominions, 
therefore,  increased  quickly.  They  did  not  usually 
destroy  the  towns  which  they  took,  but  allowed  the 
people  still  to  be  governed  by  their  own  princes,  as 
long  as  they  themselves  were  looked  up  to  as  their 
chief;  and,  one  by  one,  all  the  little  states  in  Italy 
became  subject  to  them. 

2.  The  war  with  Veii,  however,  was  carried  on  a 
long  time  before  the  Romans  were  conquerors.  Veii 
itself  was  a very  stong  town,  built  upon  a hill,  and 
the  Romans  fought  a great  many  battles  in  the  coun- 
try round  before  they  thought  of  besieging  the 
city.  At  length,  in  the  year  b.  c.  405,  they  decided 
that  it  would  be  better  to  try  and  take  it  at  once, 
and  so  make  themselves  masters  of  the  whole  state. 
Accordingly  they  went  close  up  to  the  city,  and 
surrounded  it,  and  tried  very  hard  to  get  possession 
of  it;  but  the  walls  were  too  strong,  and  the  people 
too  brave;  and  after  fighting  month  after  month, 
the  winter  came  on,  and  the  soldiers  were  obliged 
to  go  back  to  Rome. 

3.  In  the  spring  they  came  again,  but  still  they 
were  not  successful,  and  so  they  went  on  for  sev- 
eral years,  until  at  last  they  resolved  not  to  go  back 
in  the  winter,  but  to  build  huts  in  which  the  soldiers 
might  live,  and  continue  the  war  in  the  cold  stormy 
weather  as  they  did  in  the  summer. 


48 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


4.  The  old  Roman  writers  tell  us  that  the  siege 
lasted  ten  years,  and  they  give  wonderful  accounts 
of  the  way  in  which  the  city  was  taken  at  last. 
They  say  that  one  very  dry  summer,  whilst  the 
Roman  army  was  besieging  Veii,  the  waters  of  a 
lake  called  the  Alban  lake,  rose  suddenly  to  such  a 
height,  as  quite  to  cover  the  rocks  near  it.  This 
was  thought  a great  prodigy,  and  every  one  was 
talking  of  it.  The  siege  of  Veii  had  gone  on  so 
long,  that  by  this  time  the  soldiers  on  both  sides 
were  acquainted  with  each  other,  and  the  Veien- 
tines  used  sometimes  to  stand  upon  the  walls  and 
talk  to  the  Romans  below.  One  day  whilst  they 
were  conversing  in  this  way,  about  the  rise  of  the 
Alban  lake,  an  old  soldier  of  Veii  called  out,  “ Veii 
shall  never  be  taken  till  the  water  has  run  out  of 
lake  Alba.”  A Roman  sentinel  inquired  what  he 
meant;  the  man  told  him  that  he  was  repeating  an 
ancient  prophecy,  and  when  he  was  afterwards  taken 
by  the  sentinel  and  carried  to  the  Roman  chief,  he 
declared  again  that  if  the  Romans  could  drain  the 
water  out  of  the  lake,  Veii  would  be  taken. 

5.  The  Romans  were  great  believers  in  prophe- 
cies, and  they  sent  directly  to  the  oracle  at  Delphi, 
to  know  if  the  man’s  words  were  true.  The  oracle 
gave  them  an  answer  which  agreed  with  the  proph- 
ecy, and  the  Romans  immediately  set  to  work  to  cut 
a drain  that  might  draw  all  the  water  from  the 
lake,  and  convey  it  over  the  fields  near.  Such  a 
drain  is  to  be  seen  at  this  day,  but  whether  it  was 
really  made  at  that  time  no  one  can  tell.  The  people 
or  Veii,  it  is  said,  were  very  much  alarmed  when 
they  heard  what  the  Romans  were  doing,  and  tried 
to  frighten  them  from  it,  by  declaring  that  it  was 
foretold  that  soon  after  Veii  should  fall,  Rome 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


49 


would  be  taken  by  the  Gauls.  The  Romans,  how- 
ever, were  not  to  be  stopped  by  any  such  fears. 
They  appointed  one  of  their  greatest  generals,  Ca- 
millus,  to  be  dictator;  and  he  employed  a part  of  the 
army  in  digging  a long  underground  passage,  which 
reached  from  the  outside  of  the  walls  quite  to  the 
middle  of  the  town,  and  came  out  at  the  temple  of 
Juno  in  the  citadel  or  castle.  When  it  was  known 
that  all  the  waters  of  the  Alban  lake  were  drained 
off,  a plan  was  made  for  attacking  the  city.  Some 
of  the  soldiers  clambered  up  the  walls,  others  tried 
to  break  down  the  gates,  and  a third  party  rushed 
through  the  long  dark  passage,  till  they  were  ex- 
actly underneath  the  temple  of  Juno. 

6.  The  king  of  Veii  was  at  that  very  time  offer- 
ing sacrifices  to  the  goddess,  who  was  considered  to 
be  the  especial  protectress  of  the  city.  The  Roman 
soldiers  stood  below  the  temple  arid  heard  the  very 
words  which  were  spoken  by  the  priest,  and  before 
any  alarm  could  be  given,  they  rushed  forth  upon 
their  enemies.  It  was  in  vain  for  the  Veientines  to 
resist.  The  Romans  within  the  city  opened  the  gates 
to  their  companions  without,  and  the  whole  army 
poured  in.  The  king  was  killed,  numbers  of  the  in- 
habitants were  taken  prisoners,  and  the  whole  treas- 
ures of  the  city  were  given  up  to  the  soldiers.  The 
statue  of  Juno  was  carried  to  Rome,  and  a temple 
was  built  for  the  goddess  upon  one  of  the  Roman 
hills. 

7.  Camillus,  the  dictator,  had  a splendid  triumph 
on  his  return  to  Rome.  A triumph  was  the  great 
reward  of  a successful  general.  It  was  a grand  pro- 
cession through  the  streets  of  Rome,  in  which  all 
the  prisoners  and  treasures  taken  in  the  war  were 
displayed. 


50 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


8.  The  triumph  of  Camillus,  after  the  fall  of  Veil, 
was  disliked  by  the  Roman  people,  because  it 
showed  too  much  pride.  He  entered  the  city  in  a 
splendid  chariot,  drawn  by  four  milk-white  horses, 
and  painted  his  face  with  vermilion.  White  horses 
were  used  particularly  in  honor  of  Jupiter  and  of  the 
Sun;  and  the  statues  of  the  gods  were  generally 
painted  with  vermilion.  It  seemed,  therefore,  that 
Camillus  considered  himself  equal  to  a god,  and  this 
the  people  were  shocked  at.  What  caused  the  sol- 
diers to  be  still  more  angry,  was  his  ordering  them 
to  return  part  of  the  spoils  that  had  been  taken  from 
Veii,  in  order  to  assist  him  in  making  an  offering  to 
the  god  Apollo,  which  he  had  vowed  to  do,  but  had 
forgotten.  Some  time  afterwards  Camillus  was  ac- 
cused of  having  hidden  some  treasures  which  he 
ought  to  have  given  up,  and  was  obliged  to  go  into 
exile. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

INVASION  OF  THE  GAULS. 

ROME  BURNT,  B.  C.  39O. 

B.  C.  390.  I-  Camillus  had  not  long  been  in  exile 
before  the  Romans  felt  the  want  of  his 
skill  as  a general;  for  the  people  of  Clusium,  a state 
in  the  north  of  Italy,  sent  to  ask  their  assistance 
against  the  Gauls. 

2.  The  Gauls  were  the  inhabitants  of  that  part  of 
Europe  which  we  now  call  France.  They  were  a 
fierce,  wild  people,  very  tall  and  strong,  with  rough 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


51 


shaggy  hair,  which  gave  them  a terrible  look,  and 
frightened  all  who  saw  them.  The  Alps  lay  between 
their  country  and  Italy;  but  from  time  to  time 
parties  of  these  savages  used  to  cross  the  high  snowy 
mountains,  and  come  pouring  down  upon  the  bright 
fruitful  valleys  of  Italy,  to  the  great  alarm  of  the 
inhabitants. 

3.  This  was  the  case  now.  The  people  of  Clu- 
sium  were  not  strong  enough  to  resist  them,  and 
therefore  sent  for  help  to  the  Romans.  The  Roman 
senators,  however,  did  not  wish  to  go  to  war;  and 
instead  of  raising  an  army  they  sent  three  sons  of 
one  of  their  senators,  Fabius  Ambustus,  to  try  and 
make  peace  between  the  people  of  Clusium  and  the 
Gauls. 

4.  When  the  Roman  ambassadors  reached  the 
camp  of  the  Gauls  they  were  taken  before  Brennus, 
the  king,  who  was  assembled  with  his  council.  They 
told  him  that  they  had  come  to  make  peace  if  possi- 
ble, and  asked  him  why  he  had  invaded  Clusium. 
Brennus  replied  that  his  own  country  was  too  small 
for  himself  and  his  people.  They  wished  no  harm 
to  the  inhabitants  of  Clusium.  They  only  desired 
to  share  their  lands. 

5.  The  Fabii  inquired  what  right  they  had  to 
claim  the  land  of  strangers. 

6.  “ Our  right  is  in  our  swords,”  exclaimed  the 
fierce  Gaul,  grasping  his  weapon.  “ All  things  be- 
long to  the  brave.”  After  this  speech  there  was  no 
hope  of  peace.  A battle  followed,  in  which  the 
three  Fabii  fought,  and  one  of  them  killed  a chief 
officer  of  the  Gauls. 

7.  It  was  entirely  against  the  customs  of  all  na- 
tions for  an  ambassador  to  fight;  and  when  the 
Gauls  heard  what  Fabius  had  done  they  were  ex- 


52 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


ceedingly  enraged,  and  swore  that  they  would  be 
revenged  for  such  an  insult.  A message  was  sent 
to  Rome,  requiring  the  senators  to  make  amends  to 
the  Gauls  for  the  conduct  of  their  ambassadors, 
but  nothing  was  done  to  satisfy  them;  and  a short 
time  afterwards  the  news  came  that  king  Brennus 
and  seventy  thousand  of  his  fierce  soldiers  were 
approaching  towards  the  city. 

8.  This  was  terrible  news  for  the  inhabitants. 
An  army  was  sent  out,  but  it  was  defeated  about 
eleven  miles  from  Rome,  near  a small  river  called 
the  Allia,  a name  which,  as  well  as  the  day  on  which 
the  defeat  took  place,  was  ever  afterwards  counted 
by  the  Romans  as  unlucky.  The  Gauls  came  on 
nearer  and  nearer,  whilst  the  Romans  sent  away 
the  women  and  children,  and  then  began  to  make 
the  best  preparations  they  could  think  of  for  de- 
fending themselves. 

9.  Brennus  remained  for  three  days  before  Rome 
without  venturing  to  attack  it.  He  sent  scouts  or 
messengers  to  discover  what  the  inhabitants  were 
doing,  and  they  brought  him  back  word  that  the 
gates  were  open  and  not  a single  human  being  was 
to  be  seen  on  the  ramparts.  It  seemed  difficult  to 
believe  that  the  Romans  had  left  their  city,  and 
Brennus  feared  they  wished  to  deceive  him,  but  at 
length  he  could  wait  no  longer,  and  he  entered  with 
his  army.  All  was  still  and  deserted.  The  Gauls 
could  wander  through  the  streets,  and  no  one  ap- 
peared to  stop  them;  they  could  enter  the  houses, — 
they  could  seize  upon  every  thing  they  liked,  there 
was  not  a person  to  prevent  them.  At  length  they 
reached  the  forum.  There  sat  eighty  aged  men  in 
ivory  chairs  of  state,  and  dressed  in  splendid  purple 
robes.  So  still  were  they — so  calm  and  motionless — 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


53 


they  scarcely  looked  like  living  men.  The  bar- 
barians approached  them,  they  thought  them  to  be 
gods.  For  some  time  they  gazed  upon  them  with 
awe.  Then  one  bolder  than  the  rest  put  forth  his 
hand  and  touched  the  long  white  beard  of  Marcus 
Papirius,  a venerable  priest.  Papirius  considered 
this  action  as  an  insult.  He  struck  the  Gaul  on  the 
head.  The  soldier’s  reverence  was  gone  in  an  in- 
stant. He  cut  down  Papirius  with  his  sword;  and 
his  companions,  growing  eager  and  angry,  instantly 
followed  his  example.  The  poor  old  men  were  all 
murdered.  And  now  the  Gauls  began  to  examine 
the  city  more  closely.  Part  of  it  was  built  upon  a 
steep  rock;  and  when  the  barbarians  looked  up 
they  saw  a number  of  armed  men  standing  upon  the 
top  of  the  strong  walls.  They  knew  then  why  it  was 
that  the  city  had  been  deserted.  The  Romans  able 
to  bear  arms  had  shut  themselves  up  in  the  capitol, 
with  all  the  provisions  that  could  be  obtained,  and 
were  determined  to  defend  themselves  to  the  last. 
As  for  the  eighty  old  men  left  in  the  forum,  they 
were  senators  of  very  high  rank,  who  thought  that 
if  they  gave  themselves  up  to  death  the  gods 
would  be  satisfied,  and  would  save  their  fellow- 
countrymen. 

io.  For  eight  long  months  from  that  time  the 
Romans  remained  shut  up  in  the  capitol,  suffering 
dreadfully  from  hunger,  whilst  the  Gauls  surrounded 
them  below,  unable  to  reach  them,  because  the  walls 
of  the  fortress  were  steep  and  high,  and  they  could 
not  clamber  up,  and  yet  resolved  not  to  go  away, 
although  they  had  fully  taken  their  revenge  for  the 
insult  they  had  received,  by  plundering  and  burning 
the  city.  Rome  was  now  a heap  of  ruins;  and 
where  it  had  once  stood  there  were  only  wide  deso- 
5 


54 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


late  wastes,  and  a few  houses  still  occupied  by  the 
Gauls. 

ii.  Towards  the  end  of  the  eight  months,  how- 
ever, there  was  one  attempt  made  by  the  barbarians 
to  surprise  the  capitol,  which  had  very  nearly  suc- 
ceeded. In  walking  round  the  steepest  side  a sol- 
dier observed  the  print  of  footmarks.  They  had 
been  made  by  a daring  young  Roman,  who  was  sent 
by  his  countrymen  in  the  neighborhood  to  tell  the 
Romans  in  the  capitol  some  good  news;  namely, 
that  Camillus  (who  was  in  exile  at  Ardea)  had  col- 
lected an  army,  and  had  defeated  some  of  the  Gauls 
when  they  were  plundering  the  country.  This 
young  man  swam  across  the  Tiber  and  climbed  up 
the  capitol,  and  they  were  his  footmarks  which  the 
soldier  discovered.  The  Gauls  had  no  sooner  found 
out  that  it  was  possible  to  get  up  the  steep  bank, 
than  they  determined  to  try  and  do  it  themselves. 
At  night,  when  it  was  very  dark,  a party  of  them 
made  the  attempt.  They  clambered  up  one  after 
another,  not  without  a great  deal  of  difficulty;  but 
just  as  the  first  soldier  reached  the  top,  there  was  a 
great  noise  heard, — the  cackling  of  geese.  They 
were  sacred  geese  kept  in  the  temple  of  Juno  which 
was  in  the  capitol,  and  the  approach  of  the  Gauls 
had  frightened  them.  The  religious  feeling  which 
had  kept  the  Romans  from  meddling  with  them, 
notwithstanding  the  famine,  was  now  rewarded. 
The  cackling  of  the  geese  woke  Manlius,  a brave 
soldier,  who  started  up,  and  rushed  to  the  wall  just 
in  time  to  throw  down  the  first  Gaul,  and  as  he  fell 
all  his  companions  fell  with  him,  and  so  the  whole 
plan  came  to  nothing.  Manlius  was  much  praised 
and  rewarded  for  what  he  had  done;  and  the  Gauls 
finding  that,  after  all  their  efforts,  there  was  no  hope 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


55 


of  surprising  their  enemies,  or  making  them  yield, 
at  length  proposed  to  leave  the  city,  if  the  Romans 
would  pay  them  a large  sum  of  money. 

12.  It  seemed  as  if  there  was  nothing  else  to  be 
done,  and  the  proposal  was  agreed  to.  The  old 
writers  say,  besides,  that  _ the  Gauls  used  false 
weights  in  weighing  the  gold;  and  that  when  the 
Romans  complained,  Brennus  threw  his  sword  and 
belt  into  the  scale,  exclaiming,  “Wo  to  the  van- 
quished.” They  also  add,  that  just  at  this  time  Ca- 
millus  came  with  a large  army,  and  when  he  heard 
what  was  going  on,  put  a stop  to  it,  declaring  that 
Rome  should  not  be  redeemed  with  gold  but  with 
steel;  and  that  a great  battle  followed,  in  which  the 
Romans  were  victorious;  but  these  accounts  are 
not  much  to  be  trusted,  and  all  we  know  certainly 
is,  that  the  Gauls  at  length  retired  to  their  own 
country. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

ROME  REBUILT,  B.  C.  389. 

B.  C.  389.  !■  The  Gauls  left  Rome  in  a state  of 

complete  ruin.  The  first  thing  to  be 
done,  therefore,  was  to  rebuild  the  city.  But  the 
people  could  not  at  first  agree  upon  this  point. 
Many  of  them  wished  to  leave  the  place  altogether, 
others  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  giving  up  their  an- 
cient home;  at  length  the  point  was  settled  by  what 
was  considered  a lucky  omen.  Whilst  the  senators 
were  talking  about  what  was  to  be  done,  a centurion 


56 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


passed  by  with  his  men,  and  was  heard  to  say — 
“ Plant  the  banner  here;  for  here  it  is  best  to  stay.” 
The  senators  directly  came  out  to  the  people  and 
declared  they  accepted  the  omen,  and  immediately 
every  one  set  himself  to  work. 

2.  It  was,  of  course,  necessary  to  build  as  quick- 
ly as  possible.  So  the  people  had  bricks  given  them, 
and  were  allowed  to  dig  stones  for  themselves;  and 
then  each  person  placed  his  house  where  he  chose, 
and  built  it  to  suit  his  own  fancy.  The  consequence 
was  that  the  streets  were  narrow,  crooked,  and  ir- 
regular, and  thus  they  remained  for  a great  number 
of  years,  till  they  were  again  destroyed  by  fire. 

3.  Camillus  was  now  considered  the  chief  person 
in  Rome,  and  his  courage  and  skill  were  very  much 
wanted;  for  several  of  the  states,  which  had  been 
subject  to  Rome,  tried  to  free  themselves  now  that 
the  Romans  were  so  much  less  powerful.  There 
were  a great  many  wars  and  rebellions,  but  Camillus 
was  victorious  in  almost  every  case. 

4.  The  affairs  of  the  city,  however,  were  not  as 
prosperous  within  the  walls  as  they  were  without. 
The  poor  people  had  suffered  ’grievously  from  the 
plunder  of  the  Gauls,  and  the  old  complaints  about 
debts  and  hardships  began  again. 

5.  One  of  the  persons  who  felt  the  greatest  com- 
passion for  the  oppressed  was  Marcus  Manlius,  who 
saved  the  capitol.  Seeing  a poor  old  man  carried 
away  in  chains,  because  he  could  not  pay  what  he 
owed,  Manlius  immediately  paid  the  money  for  him, 
and  let  him  go  home;  and  he  then  declared  that  as 
long  as  he  had  a pound  of  brass,  no  one  should  be 
made  a slave  for  debt. 

6.  From  that  time  Manlius  made  it  his  duty  to 
help  every  debtor  that  he  possibly  could;  and  it  is 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


57 


said  that  he  assisted  no  less  than  four  hundred. 
The  gratitude  of  the  poor  may  easily  be  imagined; 
but  the  patricians  grew  jealous,  and  accused  Man- 
lius of  trying  to  stir  up  the  people  to  rebellion,  and 
at  last  they  threw  him  into  prison.  The  plebeians 
were  so  grieved  that  they  put  on  mourning,  and 
crowded  round  his  prison  threatening  to  set  him 
free.  After  a little  time  the  senators  allowed  him 
to  come  out  of  prison;  but  Manlius,  being  a proud 
man,  was  highly  indignant  at  what  had  been  done, 
and  did  really  now  encourage  the  plebeians  to  com- 
plain of  their  rulers;  and  at  last  he  went  so  far 
that  he  was  accused  of  high  treason  and  sentenced 
to  die.  He  was  safe,  however,  for  some  time,  for 
he  shut  himself  up  in  the  capitol  with  an  armed 
band,  but  he  was  at  length  betrayed.  A man  came 
to  him  pretending  to  be  his  friend,  and  bring  him 
some  useful  information;  and  whilst  they  were  walk- 
ing together  along  the  edge  of  the  Tarpeian  rock, 
the  traitor  pushed  him  over  and  killed  him. 

7.  The  house  of  Manlius  was  pulled  down,  and 
none  of  his  family  ever  after  took  the  name  of 
Marcus. 


53 


HISTORY  OP  ROME. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  AGRARIAN  LAW. 

LICINIUS  STOLO  AND  LUCIUS  SEXTIUS,  TRIBUNES. 

B.  C.  376. 

B.  C.  376.  !■  The  next  persons  who  tried  to  help 

the  plebeians  were  Licinius  Stolo  and 
Lucius  Sextius,  who  were  tribunes,  about  the  year 
b.  c.  376.  It  seems  that  they  must  have  been  very 
much  in  earnest  in  what  they  did;  but  there  is  a 
story  told  of  the  reason  why  Licinius  first  began  to 
think  of  doing  good  to  the  plebeians,  which  would 
take  away  some  of  the  credit  from  him  if  it  were 
true.  There  is,  however,  great  reason  to  doubt  it. 

2.  One  of  the  chief  patricians  in  Rome  at  that 
time  had,  it  is  said,  two  daughters;  one  was  married 
to  Licinius,  who  was  a plebeian,  the  other  to  Sulpi- 
cius,  a patrician,  and  a consular  tribune.  Consular 
tribunes  had  not  quite  the  same  power  as  consuls, 
but  nearly  as  much.  Fabia,  the  wife  of  Licinius, 
was  one  day  visiting  her  sister,  when  Sulpicius  re- 
turned home  after  his  public  business  was  finished. 
The  lictors  came  with  him;  for  they  always  attended 
the  chief  magistrates.  Fabia  was  quite  frightened 
by  the  noise  which  they  made  when  they  knocked  at 
the  door  to  announce  the  arrival  of  such  a great 
man.  But  her  sister  laughed  at  her,  and  reproached 
her  for  having  married  a plebeian.  When  Fabia 
went  home,  being  very  much  vexed,  she  complained 
to  her  father  and  her  husband;  and  from  that  time 
they  determined  not  to  rest  till  the  great  distinc- 
tions between  the  patricians  and  plebeians  were 
done  away  with. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


59 


3.  Whether  this  story  be  true  or  not,  it  is  certain 
that  some  great  changes  were  made  about  this  time 
in  the  laws  and  government  of  Rome;  and  that 
greater  honors  were  given  to  the  plebeians. 
Amongst  other  things,  it  was  settled  that  one  of  the 
consuls  should  always  be  a plebeian.  A law  was 
also  proposed  forbidding  any  person  to  have  the 
use  of  more  than  a certain  quantity  of  the  public 
land;  all  which  they  occupied  beyond  this  was  to 
be  allowed  to  the  plebeians,  on  condition  of  pay- 
ing a small  sum  to  the  state.  This  kind  of  law 
about  public  property  is  called  an  Agrarian  law. 
Before  this  law  was  passed  the  patricians  used  to 
keep  for  their  own  use  the  lands  which  had  been 
taken  from  other  states,  and  cultivate  them,  and 
feed  their  cattle  upon  them,  without  allowing  the 
plebeians  to  have  a fair  share  in  the  enjoyment  of 
them.  And  this  was  the  cause  of  many  great  dis- 
turbances and  quarrels  at  Rome. 

4.  It  was  a long  time  before  the  patricians  would 
consent  to  these  alterations;  but  Licinius  and  his 
friend  Lucius  Sextius  went  on  year  after  year  pro- 
posing that  they  should  be  made,  and  at  last  they 
gained  their  point,  and  Lucius  Sextius  was  ap- 
pointed to  be  the  first  plebeian  consul.  Still  the 
patricians  were  determined  to  keep  some  power  to 
themselves,  and  a new  magistrate  was  appointed, 
called  a praetor,  who  they  said  should  always  be 
chosen  from  the  patricians.  A great  deal  of  the 
power  and  dignity  belonging  to  the  consuls  was 
also  given  to  him,  but  particularly  the  administra- 
tion of  justice. 

5.  About  this  time  a dreadful  plague  broke  out  in 
Rome,  and  in  order  to  drive  it  away,  the  people 
chose  a dictator,  for  the  express  purpose  of  ham- 


6o 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


mering  a nail  into  the  door  of  one  of  their  temples. 
They  fancied  that  by  doing  this  they  should  please 
the  gods  who  had  sent  the  plague  amongst  them. 
Camillus  died  of  this  plague.  He  was  eighty  years 
old. 

6.  In  the  same  year,  we  are  told  that  a deep 
chasm  or  pit  opened  in  the  forum.  The  augurs  said 
it  would  never  close  until  the  most  precious  things 
in  Rome  had  been  thrown  into  it.  A young  war- 
rior, named  Marcus  Curtius,  mounted  his  horse, 
which  was  ornamented  with  splendid  trappings,  and, 
with  all  his  armor  on,  leaped  into  the  gulf,  declaring 
that  Rome  had  nothing  so  precious  as  the  arms  and 
courage  of  her  sons.  The  ancient  writers  declare 
that  the  chasm  closed,  and  where  it  had  opened 
there  was  afterwards  a lake  called  the  Curtian  lake. 

7.  During  this  period  frequent  mention  is  made 
of  different  invasions  of  the  Gauls;  for  although 
they  had  gone  back  to  their  own  country,  they  very 
often  made  their  way  into  the  heart  of  Italy  again. 
Several  stories  are  told  of  their  great  size  and 
strength,  and  of  single  combats  between  a Gaul  and 
a Roman.  On  one  occasion,  when  the  Gauls  had 
advanced  near  to  Rome,  a warrior  of  enormous 
height,  and  very  strong,  challenged  any  Roman  who 
was  brave  enough  to  come  out  and  fight  with  him. 
Titus  Manlius,  a young  man,  accepted  the  offer. 
He  dressed  himself  in  plain  armor,  and  went  out  to 
meet  the  Gaul,  taking  a buckler  in  his  hand,  and  a 
short  sword.  The  Gaul  struck  a heavy  blow  at  him 
with  his  long  sword,  but  Manlius  contrived  to  es- 
cape it,  and  slipping  under  the  giant’s  shield,  stabbed 
him  in  two  places.  The  huge  -Gaul  fell  to  the 
ground,  and  Manlius  cut  off  his  head,  and  took  a 
golden  collar  from  his  neck,  which  from  that  time 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


6l 


he  always  wore,  and  from  which  he  was  surnamed 
Torquatus,  or  the  Collared.  He  afterwards  re- 
ceived a golden  crown  as  a reward. 

8.  We  can  scarcely  read  this  anecdote  without 
thinking  of  the  account  given  of  David  and  Goliath 
in  the  Bible.  At  first  sight  the  two  stories  seem 
very  much  alike;  but  there  is  one  great  difference, 
which  can  always  be  discovered  between  the  actions 
of  heathens  and  of  the  sincere  worshippers  of  the 
True  God.  Titus  Manlius  went  out  to  fight  for 
honor;  he  trusted  in  his  own  strength  and  bravery, 
and  he  was  rewarded  by  the  golden  crown  and  the 
praises  of  his  countrymen.  When  David  went 
against  Goliath,  we  do  not  find  that  he  trusted  in 
himself  at  all.  His  hope  was  in  God.  His  words  to 
Saul  were — “ The  Lord  will  deliver  me  out  of  the 
hand  of  the  Philistine;  ” and  when  the  proud  giant 
came  forth  to  meet  him,  he  exclaimed — “ Thou 
comest  to  me  with  a sword,  and  with  a spear, 
and  with  a shield;  but  I come  to  thee  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  the  armies  of 
Israel.” 

9.  The  wish  of  the  Roman  was  that  his  name 
should  be  remembered  with  honor;  the  wish  of 
David  was  that  all  the  earth  might  know  there  was 
a God  in  Israel.  The  heathens  do  not  seem  to  have 
understood  that  humility  and  meekness  are  virtues. 


62 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  FIRST  SAMNITE  WAR, 

BEGAN  B.  C.  343. 

B.  C.  343.  !•  Even  if  the  Romans  had  been  peace- 

ably inclined,  which  they  certainly  were 
not,  they  would  have  found  it  difficult  to  avoid 
war;  for  they  were  surrounded  by  a number  of 
other  states,  who  were  continually  disputing  amongst 
themselves,  and  calling  upon  them  for  help.  Be- 
sides this,  they  were  becoming  very  powerful,  and 
wished  to  make  themselves  chief  over  the  other 
nations  of  Italy,  and  this  could  not  be  done  without 
conquering  them. 

2.  The  great  rivals  of  Rome  at  this  time  were  the 
Samnites.  Samnium  was  a very  hilly  country,  to 
the  south  and  east  of  the  Roman  territories.  The 
inhabitants  were  hardy  and  brave,  and,  like  the  Ro- 
mans, would  have  been  very  glad  to  become  lords 
over  the  whole  of  Italy. 

3.  There  were  three  great  wars  between  the  Ro- 
mans and  the  Samnites.  The  first  broke  out  in  con- 
sequence of  a dispute  between  two  little  states,  one 
of  which  was  assisted  by  the  Romans  and  the  other 
by  the  Samnites. 

4.  The  Romans  gained  the  first  great  battle,  and 
this  was  of  immense  importance  to  them.  If  they 
had  lost  it,  probably  they  would  have  been  subject 
to  the  Samnites,  and  we  should  never  have  heard  of 
them  as  the  conquerors  of  the  world.  But  another 
battle  which  took  place  about  the  same  time,  in  a 
different  part  of  the  country,  is  still  more  interest- 
ing, from  the  accounts  that  have  been  given  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  63 

courage  and  skill  of  a Roman  officer  called 
Decius  Mus. 

5.  It  happened  that  the  consul  who  commanded 
the  Roman  army  had  led  his  troops  into  a very  dan- 
gerous situation.  They  were  shut  in  between  steep 
hills,  amongst  the  Apennines,  and  had  no  way  of  es- 
cape, except  through  a narrow  valley,  which  was  en- 
tirely surrounded  by  the  Samnites.  The  Romans 
gave  themselves  up  for  lost;  but  Decius  Mus 
thought  of  a plan  by  which  he  might  save  them.  He 
climbed  up  one  of  the  cliffs  that  enclosed  the  ravine, 
and  made  a band  of  soldiers  follow  him.  The  Sam- 
nites were  obliged  to  pass  below  this  cliff  to  reach 
the  Romans,  and  of  course  they  tried  to  drive 
Decius  away.  It  was  not  easy,  however,  to  do  this; 
and  whilst  they  were  fighting  with  Decius  the  rest 
of  the  army  contrived  to  escape.  Decius  was  left 
then  in  great  danger,  but  he  and  his  soldiers  de- 
fended themselves  with  wonderful  courage,  and 
contrived  to  force  their  way  through  their  enemies, 
and  the  next  morning  reached  the  Roman  camp 
safely. 

6.  Decius  was  rewarded  by  a crown  of  gold,  and 
also  by  what  was  called  the  “ besieger’s  crown,” 
which  was  usually  given  by  the  soldiers  to  the  gen- 
erals who  had  relieved  a town  when  it  was  besieged. 
This  crown  was  made  from  the  grass  or  wild-flowers 
which  grew  in  the  place,  and  it  was  thought  the 
highest  honor  a general  could  receive. 

7.  It  was  the  custom  amongst  the  Romans  to  re- 
ward persons  who  had  done  good  or  great  actions 
by  giving  them  crowns. 

8.  Thus  another  reward  nearly  as  honorable  as 
this  was  the  civic  crown,  which  was  made  of  oak 
leaves.  This  was  granted  to  a person  who  had  saved 


64 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


the  life  of  a fellow-citizen.  This  first  war  with  the 
Samnites  lasted  only  two  years,  for  insurrections 
and  disturbances  broke  out  in  the  Roman  army, 
and  the  senators  found  it  desirable  to  make  peace. 

9.  Decius  Mus  was  killed  not  very  long  after  the 
Samnite  war.  His  death  made  him  even  more 
famous  than  his  life.  It  happened  in  a battle  with 
the  Latins,  when  he  was  consul. 

10.  Both  the  Roman  consuls,  it  is  said,  dreamed 
that  in  this  battle  the  general  on  one  side  must  be 
lost  and  the  army  on  the  other,  and  they  agreed 
that  if  their  own  troops  began  to  give  way  one  of 
them  would  devote  himself  to  death  to  appease  the 
gods.  When  the  battle  began,  the  soldiers  whom 
Decius  commanded  seemed  about  to  yield;  and  De- 
cius, remembering  his  resolution,  repeated  a solemn 
prayer  always  used  on  these  occasions,  and  then 
rushed  in  amongst  the  enemy,  and  was  killed  fight- 
ing desperately.  The  Romans  after  this  were  vic- 
torious. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  SECOND  SAMNITE  WAR, 

BEGAN  B.  C.  326. 

B.  C.  326.  !•  The  second  war  with  the  Samnites 

was  caused  something  in  the  same  way 
as  the  first;  that  is,  it  began  by  quarrels  between 
Rome  and  other  states,  in  which  the  Samnites 
interfered.  But  there  is  reason  to  think  that  the 
Romans  were  looking  out  for  something  to  com- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


65 


plain  of,  as  they  were  too  ambitious  to  be  contented 
until  the  Samnites  were  quite  conquered.  One  of 
the  most  remarkable  events  of  this  war  is  an  in- 
stance of  great  want  of  sincerity  and  good  faith  on 
the  part  of  the  Romans. 

2.  It  seems  that  they  had  not  profited  much  by 
the  danger  they  were  placed  in  during  the  last  war, 
when  Decius  Mus  had  saved  them;  they  were  still 
very  careless  in  going  through  the  valleys  amongst 
the  mountains;  and  at  last,  in  one  very  narrow 
place,  called  the  Caudine  Forks,  they  were  attacked 
by  the  Samnites  and  completely  defeated;  so  much 
so,  indeed,  that  they  were  forced  to  give  up  all 
thoughts  of  continuing  the  war,  and  to  consent  to 
all  which  the  Samnites  asked.  Amongst  other 
things  it  was  required  that  the  Romans  should  give 
up  all  the  places  they  had  taken  in  the  war,  and  that 
the  two  nations  should  be  considered  equal.  The 
army  was  also  obliged  to  pass  under  the  yoke. 

3.  This  was  a very  dreadful  disgrace,  but  there 
was  no  way  of  escaping  it,  and  to  save  their  lives  at 
all  was  more  than  they  had  reason  to  expect,  for 
Caius  Pontius,  the  general  of  the  Samnites,  might 
easily  have  killed  them  if  he  had  not  been  mercifully 
inclined.  They  were  all  therefore  compelled  to  sub- 
mit— even  the  consuls  were  not  spared;  but  Pontius 
showed  them  kindness  afterwards,  and  gave  them 
clothes  and  provisions  to  help  them  on  their  journey 
back  to  Rome. 

4.  They  reached  the  city  quite  overpowered  with 
shame;  and  the  senators  met  together  to  consider 
what  was  to  be  done.  After  some  time  it  was  pro- 
posed that  the  agreement  which  had  been  made 
should  not  be  kept;  but  that  the  officers  and  soldiers 
who  had  sworn  to  it  should  be  delivered  up  to  the 


66 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


Samnites,  as  persons  who  had  deceived  them  by- 
promising  what  could  not  be  performed.  This  was 
a most  unfair  way  of  dealing,  for  the  Samnites  had 
spared  the  Romans  only  on  account  of  these  prom- 
ises. The  Samnites  would  not  have  any  thing  to  do 
with  the  affair.  They  would  not  receive  the  officers 
and  soldiers  who  were  sent  to  them,  and  they  were 
so  much  more  noble  than  the  Romans,  that  although 
they  had  six  hundred  hostages  in  their  hands,  they 
did  them  no  harm,  but  allowed  them  all  to  go  back 
to  Rome.  After  this  the  war  went  on  as  it  had  done 
before  for  more  than  twenty  years.  Then  the  Sam- 
nites were  obliged  to  beg  for  peace,  and  acknowl- 
edge the  Romans  as  their  masters;  but  they  were 
not  entirely  subdued  until  a long  time  afterwards. 

5.  About  this  time  one  of  the  Roman  consuls, 
Appius  Claudius,  caused  a great  road  to  be  made 
from  Rome  to  Capua.  It  was  formed  of  stone 
blocks,  which  fitted  quite  closely  to  each  other,  and 
two  carriages  could  go  upon  it  abreast.  The  re- 
mains are  to  be  seen  at  this  day,  and  it  is  still  called 
the  Via  Appia,  or  the  Road  of  Appius.  The  Ro- 
mans said  it  was  the  queen  of  roads. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  THIRD  SAMNITE  WAR, 

BEGAN  B.  C.  298. 

B.  C.  298.  I-  The  third  Samnite  war  began  like 
the  other  two.  It  broke  out  in  the  year 
b.  c.  298,  in  consequence  of  the  help  which  the 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


6 7 


Samnites  gave  to  some  of  the  enemies  of  Rome; 
but  the  Samnites  must  have  wished  long  before 
to  free  themselves  from  the  power  of  the  Romans, 
and  no  doubt  were  glad  to  take  advantage  of  the 
first  occasion  which  offered  for  quarrelling  with 
them. 

2.  During  this  war  the  Gauls  again  invaded  Italy 
and  joined  with  the  Samnites  against  the  Romans. 
We  are  told  that  in  one  great  battle,  when  the  Gauls 
and  the  Samnites  had  united  their  forces,  and  the 
Romans  were  very  nearly  defeated,  the  son  of  Decius 
Mus  gave  himself  up  for  his  country  in  the  same 
way  as  his  father.  He  believed  that  if  he  delivered 
himself  up  to  death,  the  gods  would  favor  the  Ro- 
mans, and  he  repeated  the  set  form  of  words,  after 
the  Roman  pontiff  or  chief  priest,  and  then  rushed 
forward  and  was  slain.  The  Romans  took  courage 
after  this  and  gained  the  victory. 

3.  In  the  last  regular  battle  which  v/as  fought  be- 
tween the  Samnites  and  the  Romans,  Caius  Pontius, 
the  Samnite  general,  who  had  been  so  merciful  to 
the  Romans  at  the  battle  of  the  Caudine  Forks,  was 
taken  prisoner. 

4.  The  Romans,  instead  of  remembering  his  gen- 
erosity to  them  when  they  were  in  distress,  carried 
him  to  Rome,  where  he  was  led  in  chains  through 
the  city  at  the  consul’s  triumph,  and  afterwards  be- 
headed. This  is  considered  one  of  the  most  dis- 
graceful actions  which  the  Romans  ever  committed. 

5.  The  third  Samnite  war  lasted  about  eight 
years.  When  it  was  ended  the  Romans  had  gained 
their  wish,  for  the  Samnites  were  entirely  subject  to 
them. 

6.  The  town  of  Herculaneum,  which  lies  buried 
beneath  the  lava  of  Mount  Vesuvius,  and  which  is 


68 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


so  interesting  to  all  persons  who  go  to  Italy,  be- 
longed to  the  Samnites  and  was  taken  in  this  war. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

PYRRHUS,  KING  OF  EPIRUS, 

LANDED  IN  ITALY,  B.  C.  281. 

B.  C.  281.  I-  The  Romans  were  by  this  time  mas- 
ters of  a great  part  of  Italy.  But  they 
had  still  some  powerful  enemies  in  the  south.  There 
was  a city  there  called  Tarentum,  which  lay  on  the 
seacoast,  with  a very  fine  harbor,  and  a great  deal  of 
rich  country  about  it,  particularly  famous  for  its 
flocks  of  sheep,  and  the  beautiful  wool  which  they 
produced.  That  part  of  the  Mediterranean,  on 
which  the  town  was  situated,  is  still  called  after  it, 
the  Gulf  of  Taranto.  A quarrel  began  between  the 
inhabitants  of  this  place  and  the  Romans,  by  the 
Tarentines  doing  mischief  to  some  Roman  ships, 
which  appeared  one  day  to  be  making  their  way  into 
the  harbor.  The  Romans  sent  as  usual  to  ask  satis- 
faction for  the  outrage;  but  their  ambassadors  were 
only  laughed  at  by  the  insolent  Tarentines — and  as 
soon  as  they  returned  to  Rome  and  told  how  they 
had  been  treated,  it  was  determined  to  declare  war. 
The  Tarentines,  on  their  part,  were  resolved  to  re- 
sist the  Romans  as  much  as  possible,  and  thinking 
that  if  they  could  obtain  help  from  abroad  they 
should  be  more  likely  to  conquer,  they  sent  to 
Pyrrhus,  king  of  Epirus,  begging  him  to  join  with 
them. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


69 


2.  Pyrrhus  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
kings  of  that  period.  He  was  then  about  thirty- 
seven  years  of  age; — his  character  was  generous, 
noble,  and  brave,  and  he  had  such  an  art  of  pleasing 
that  he  made  friends  of  almost  all  who  came  near 
him.  The  idea  of  carrying  on  a war  in  Italy,  and 
perhaps  founding  a kingdom  there  was  very  pleas- 
ant to  him,  and  he  willingly  agreed  to  the  proposal 
of  the  Tarentines. 

3.  He  crossed  over  from  Greece  in  the  year  b.  c. 
281,  and  landed  in  Italy  with  an  army  of  men,  a 
good  many  horses,  and  twenty  elephants.  The  peo- 
ple of  Tarentum  were  indolent  and  accustomed  to 
luxurious  habits,  and  liked  amusing  themselves 
much  better  than  working  or  fighting;  but  Pyrrhus, 
as  soon  as  he  came  to  the  city,  forced  all  who  could 
bear  arms  to  become  soldiers,  and  ordered  the  the- 
atres to  be  shut;  and,  in  short,  made  every  prepara- 
tion necessary  for  a great  war.  The  Romans  on 
their  side  were  not  idle;  they  would  not  listen  when 
Pyrrhus  sent  ambassadors  to  them  to  propose  to 
settle  the  dispute  between  them  and  the  Tarentines, 
and  it  seemed  as  if  they  were  entirely  bent  upon  war. 
In  the  first  great  battle  which  took  place  the  Ro- 
mans fought  most  bravely.  They  advanced  seven 
times  against  their  enemies,  and  each  time  they  were 
forced  to  retreat,  because  their  horses  were  frightened 
at  the  sight  of  the  elephants  which  Pyrrhus  had 
brought  with  him.  After  the  seventh  time  the 
whole  Roman  army  fled,  and  Pyrrhus  took  posses- 
sion of  the  enemy’s  camp.  This  battle  had  given 
him  a high  opinion  of  Roman  courage;  and  when 
he  visited  the  field  of  battle  the  next  day,  and  saw 
that  the  men  had  all  fallen  with  their  faces  to  the 
enemy,  he  exclaimed: — “With  such  soldiers  the 

6 


70 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


world  would  be  mine,  and  it  would  belong  to  the 
Romans  if  I were  their  commander.”  The  victory, 
however,  was  not  gained  without  great  loss,  and 
when  Pyrrhus  was  congratulated  upon  having  con- 
quered, he  replied:  “ One  more  such  victory,  and  I 
should  be  obliged  to  return  to  Epirus  without  a 
single  soldier.” 

4.  Peace  was  now  proposed  again,  and  Pyrrhus 
sent  an  ambassador  to  settle  the  terms  whom  he 
thought  must  please  the  Romans;  Curius  was  his 
name,  he  was  the  greatest  friend  Pyrrhus  had;  .his 
manners  were  particularly  agreeable,  and  he  easily 
persuaded  other  persons  to  do  as  he  wished.  He 
very  nearly  induced  the  Romans  now  to  make 
peace;  probably  they  would  have  done  so,  but  for 
Appius  Claudius,  the  same  senator  who  made  the 
great  road  mentioned  in  the  last  chapter.  Appius 
was  at  this  time  a very  old  man,  lame  and  blind,  but 
he  caused  himself  to  be  carried  into  the  senate,  and 
spoke  so  earnestly  against  submitting  in  any  way  to 
Pyrrhus,  that  Curius  was  obliged  to  go  back  with- 
out having  gained  his  point.  Pyrrhus  immediately 
began  the  war  again.  Several  battles  were  fought, 
and  many  prisoners  taken.  The  Romans  offered 
money  for  their  release,  but  Pyrrhus  would  not  ac- 
cept it.  He  allowed  them  however  to  go  to  Rome 
in  order  to  be  present  at  a great  festival,  and  said 
they  might  remain  if  the  senators  would  make  peace. 
The  prisoners  tried  very  much  to  persuade  the  sena- 
tors to  do  so,  but  they  could  not  succeed,  and  they 
were  therefore  all  obliged  to  go  back  to  Pyrrhus. 
The  senators  even  threatened  to  put  any  person  to 
death  who  should  endeavor  to  stay  behind.  They 
were  so  particular  about  their  word  being  kept. 
Afterwards,  it  is  said,  that  a person  in  the  army  of 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


7r 


Pyrrhus  offered  to  poison  the  king  if  the  Romans 
would  reward  him,  but  the  Romans  were  exceed- 
ingly indignant,  and  Fabricius  the  consul  told 
Pyrrhus  all  about  it.  Fabricius  was  a very  honor- 
able man,  who  once  before  had  refused  to  do  some- 
thing that  Pyrrhus  wished  when  he  thought  it 
would  be  wrong,  and  Pyrrhus  was  now  so  struck 
with  his  generosity  and  nobleness,  that  he  ex- 
claimed:— “Noble  Fabricius!  it  were  as  easy  to 
turn  the  sun  from  his  course  as  that  man  from  the 
path  of  honor.” 

5.  Pyrrhus,  in  return  for  this  kindness  shown 
him  by  the  Romans,  sent  back  all  the  prisoners 
without  ransom.  A truce  was  then  agreed  upon, 
for  a short  time,  and  Pyrrhus  crossed  over  to  Sicily 
to  help  the  Sicilians  against  the  Carthaginians. 
Three  years  afterwards  he  came  back  to  Italy  again, 
but  he  was  not  by  any  means  as  successful  then  as 
he  had  been  before.  The  Romans  were  by  this 
time  more  accustomed  to  his  mode  of  fighting,  and 
knew  how  to  frighten  his  elephants;  and,  at  last, 
after  being  quite  defeated  in  one  great  battle,  he 
left  Italy  never  to  return  to  it  again.  Pyrrhus  was 
a noble-minded,  brave  man;  but  he  was  very  fond  of 
seeking  for  adventures,  and  took  no  care  of  his  own 
country,  whilst  he  was  warring  with  others.  He 
was  killed  in  Greece,  by  a tile  which  a woman  threw 
upon  his  head. 

6.  After  the  war  with  Pyrrhus  was  ended,  the 
Romans  had  not  much  difficulty  in  making  them- 
selves masters  of  the  whole  of  Italy.  Their  domin- 
ions had  increased  more  and  more,  and  we  can  fancy 
how  surprised  their  first  king,  Romulus,  would  have 
been  if  he  could  have  known  what  a great  and 
powerful  people  they  had  become.  But  it  was  the 


72 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


will  of  God  that  they  should  become  yet  more 
powerful,  and  govern  a great  many  countries  be- 
sides Italy,  and  of  this  we  shall  hear  something  in 
the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  FIRST  PUNIC  WAR, 

BEGAN  B.  C.  264. 

B.  C.  264.  !•  It  was  said  that  Pyrrhus,  when  he 

granted  a truce  with  the  Romans, 
crossed  over  to  Sicily  to  help  the  Sicilians  against 
the  Carthaginians.  This  is  the  first  time  that  the 
Carthaginians  have  been  mentioned,  but  they  were 
a people  well  known  to  the  Romans,  and  had  often 
before  made  treaties  with  them  about  trade.  For 
they  were  not  so  much  given  to  war,  as  other  na- 
tions in  those  days,  but  employed  themselves  mainly 
in  commerce;  that  is,  in  carrying  goods  and  mer- 
chandise from  one  country  to  another,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  exchange.  This  made  them  understand  how 
to  manage  ships,  and  brought  them  a good  deal  of 
money;  so  that  when  they  went  to  war,  they  were 
able  to  hire  troops  to  fight  for  them,  without  being 
forced  to  become  soldiers  themselves,  and  thus 
neglect  their  traffic  and  business.  The  name  of 
their  chief  city  was  Carthage.  The  place  where  it 
stood  may  be  found  by  looking  to  the  map  of  Africa, 
on  the  seacoast,  southwest  of  Sicily,  about  eleven 
miles  from  Tunis.  Once  it  was  so  large,  that  it  is 
said  to  have  been  twenty-three  miles  round,  and  the 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


73 


riches  it  contained  were  immense.  But  all  that 
remains  of  it  now  are  some  cisterns  and  large  drains 
or  sewers.  The  inhabitants,  in  the  course  of  their 
trading,  spread  themselves  along  the  northern  part 
of  Africa,  and  passed  over  to  Spain,  where  in  time 
they  founded  a city,  which  they  called  New  Car- 
thage, a name  which  the  place  still  keeps,  only  slight- 
ly changed  into  Carthagena.  The  also  had  posses- 
sion of  no  small  part  of  Sicily.  The  wars  between 
this  people  and  the  Romans  are  generally  called  the 
Punic  Wars;  Punic  being  another  name  for  Cartha- 
ginian, and  signifying  the  origin  of  their  race.  For 
though  it  is  not  exactly  known  how  long  it  was  be- 
fore the  building  of  Rome  that  Carthage  was 
founded,  it  is  agreed  that  the  first  settlers  there 
came  from  Phoenicia. 

2.  The  first  Punic  war  began  in  Sicily,  where,  as 
it  has  been  said,  the  Carthaginians  had  settled  them- 
selves. The  greater  part  of  the  island  was  theirs, 
the  rest  belonging  to  Hiero,  king  of  Syracuse.  But 
a band  of  men,  called  Mamertines,  who  were  in 
fact  little  better  than  robbers  and  plunderers,  had 
come  over  from  Italy,  and  by  foul  means  taken 
possession  of  a town  to  which  they  had  not  the  least 
right.  The  town  which  they  seized  was  Messana, 
a place  that  still  gives  its  name  to  the  narrow  strait 
which  divides  Sicily  from  Italy.  King  Hiero  tried 
to  punish  them,  and  gained  several  victories  over 
them,  upon  which  some  of  them  appealed  for  help 
to  the  Romans,  and  some  to  the  Carthaginians.  The 
Romans  knew  well  what  a wicked  set  these  Mamer- 
tines were,  but  they  could  not  make  up  their  minds 
to  refuse  them  assistance,  because  it  gave  them  an 
excuse  for  getting  into  Sicily,  which  they  coveted; 
and,  as  they  were  more  and  more  jealous  of  the 


7 4 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


Carthaginians,  they  were  in  hopes  by  this  means 
that  a regular  war  would  break  out  between  them: 
and  so  it  happened. 

3.  The  Carthaginians,  who  assisted  the  Mamer- 
tines,  acted  like  friends  to  them,  and  persuaded 
Hiero  to  make  peace  with  them;  and  then  the  Ro- 
mans had  no  further  reason  to  interfere.  But  they 
were  so  bent  upon  the  war  that  nothing  would  in- 
duce them  to  give  it  up,  and  when  the  Mamertines 
did  not  want  their  help,  they  still  prepared  an  army, 
and  sent  them  word  that  they  were  coming  to  free 
them  from  the  dominion  of  the  Carthaginians.  This 
could  have  been  nothing  but  a pretence,  yet  it 
served  their  purpose,  and  from  that  time  the  war  be- 
tween Carthage  and  Rome  began. 

4.  Hiero,  king  of  Syracuse,  was  on  the  side  of 
the  Carthaginians  at  first,  but  after  the  Romans 
had  gained  a victory  over  him,  he  consented  to 
become  their  friend,  and  continued  so  ever  after. 

5.  The  Carthaginians  were  much  better  off  than 
the  Romans  in  one  respect.  They  had  a number  of 
ships  which  they  managed  well,  and  in  these  they 
sailed  about  the  coasts  of  Italy,  landing  at  different 
places,  destroying  the  towns,  and  doing  such  mis- 
chief that  the  Roman  senators  soon  saw  that  if  they 
wished  to  conquer  they  must  have  a number  of 
ships  also.  They  therefore  determined  to  build  a 
fleet,  and  their  orders  were  obeyed  so  quickly,  that 
within  sixty  days  after  the  trees  which  were  to  build 
the  ships  were  cut  down,  a hundred  and  thirty  were 
finished.  They  were  awkward  vessels,  however, 
and  not  made  to  last  long.  The  Carthaginian  ships 
were  very  superior,  and  the  only  way  which  the  Ro- 
mans could  get  the  better  of  them  was  by  throwing 
a kind  of  bridge  across  from  their  vessels  to  those 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


75 


which  they  were  fighting  with.  These  bridges  were 
fastened  with  strong  hooks  of  iron,  and  then  the 
soldiers  ran  across  them,  and  jumped  down  upon 
the  decks  of  the  enemy’s  ships.  The  first  time  this 
was  tried  the  Carthaginians  grew  frightened  and 
took  to  flight. 

6.  The  war  went  on  for  several  years  without 
either  party  gaining  the  upper  hand,  but  at  length 
the  Romans  landed  in  Africa,  took  several  of  the  Car- 
thaginian towns,  and  approached  close  to  Carthage 
itself.  They  must  have  done  a great  deal  of  harm, 
for  the  country  about  Carthage  was  very  beautiful, 
and  there  were  a great  many  pretty  villas  or  country 
houses  built  near  it,  which  the  Romans  destroyed 
and  robbed  just  as  they  chose. 

7.  Regulus  was  the  Roman  consul  at  this  time; 
and  there  is  a very  interesting  story  told  about  him. 

8.  He  was  a brave  and  resolute  man,  and  able  to 
endure  a great  many  hardships;  but  he  does  not  ap- 
pear to  have  been  a very  good  general.  Still  he 
had  gained  a victory  over  the  Carthaginians  at  sea, 
and  it  seemed  most  probable  that  he  would  conquer 
them  on  land;  for  he  and  his  army  surrounded  Car- 
thage, and  the  inhabitants  were  shut  up  in  the  city, 
and  dying  from  heat,  and  fever,  and  hunger.  They 
suffered  so  much,  indeed,  that  they  were  induced  to 
beg  for  peace,  and  Regulus  might,  if  he  had  chosen 
it,  have  put  an  end  to  the  war  entirely;  instead  of 
which,  he  asked  such  hard  terms,  that  the  Cartha- 
ginians could  not  consent  to  them;  and  the  ambassa- 
dors, who  had  been  sent  to  him,  went  back  to  the 
city  to  tell  the  people  that  they  must  still  go  on  as 
they  had  done  before.  There  was,  however,  one 
hope  for  them.  Xanthippus,  a Greek,  a very  clever 
man,  was  at  that  time  in  the  city.  He  had  had  a 


?6 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


great  deal  of  practice  in  war,  and  he  undertook  to 
train  the  people  and  teach  them,  that  they  might  be 
able  to  withstand  the  Romans;  and  in  this  he  suc- 
ceeded so  well,  that  the  Carthaginians  left  the  city, 
went  out  against  the  Romans,  fought  a great  battle, 
and  took  Regulus  prisoner. 

9.  Regulus  was  a prisoner  for  five  years;  at  the 
end  of  that  time  the  Romans  were  so  much  the  con- 
querors, that  the  Carthaginians  again  began  to  think 
of  peace.  Regulus  was  sent  to  Rome  with  the  Car- 
thaginian ambassadors,  to  convey  the  terms  of 
peace;  but  before  he  set  off,  he  was  obliged  to 
promise  that  if  the  senators  would  not  agree  to  all 
which  the  Carthaginians  wished,  he  would  return  to 
Carthage  again  as  a prisoner. 

10.  It  must  have  been  very  pleasant  to  him  to  go 
back  to  Rome  after  such  a long  absence,  to  see  all 
his  friends  and  relations  again,  and  no  doubt  he 
longed  to  remain  with  them;  but  when  the  senators 
asked  him  whether  he  would  advise  them  to  agree 
to  all  which  the  Carthaginians  proposed,  he  was 
obliged  to  speak  honestly,  and  he  told  them  “ No, 
not  even  to  exchange  prisoners.” 

11.  The  consequence  of  this  advice  was  very  sad 
for  Regulus.  The  Carthaginian  ambassadors  pre- 
pared to  go  back  to  Carthage,  and  Regulus  was  to 
return  with  them.  His  friends  entreated  him  to 
stay,  but  he  would  not  listen  to  them;  and  after 
embracing  them  for  the  last  time,  he  set  out  on  his 
sorrowful  journey  to  Carthage. 

12.  When  the  Carthaginians  heard  of  the  advice 
he  had  given,  their  anger  was  furious;  and  in  order 
to  punish  him,  it  is  said  that  they  cut  off  his  eyelids 
and  exposed  him  to  the  scorching  blaze  of  the  sun, 
and  afterwards  put  him  into  a cask  stuck  round  with 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


77 


nails,  the  points  of  which  were  turned  inwards; 
and  thus,  it  is  said,  killed  him  with  pain,  hunger,  and 
sleeplessness.  The  account  of  these  cruel  tortures 
we  have  reason  to  believe,  however,  is  not  true; 
although  Regulus  died  not  long  after  his  return  to 
Carthage. 

13.  The  offer  of  peace  having  failed,  war  was  now 
begun  once  more,  and  was  continued  for  about  nine 
years  longer.  The  Carthaginians  had  a very  famous 
general  to  command  them  some  part  of  the  time, 
called  Hamilcar  Barca,  or  Lightning,  who  was  not 
only  a brave  and  good  general,  but  also  a kind- 
hearted  generous  man.  On  one  occasion,  having 
lost  a battle,  he  sent  to  the  Roman  consul  to  ask 
for  a truce,  that  he  might  have  time  to  bury  his 
dead.  The  consul  replied  harshly  and  proudly,  that 
he  ought  to  be  concerned  about  the  living  rather 
than  the  dead.  Some  time  afterwards  the  Romans 
had  occasion  to  ask  the  same  favor;  and  Hamilcar 
Barca  instantly  agreed,  saying  that  he  carried  on 
war  only  against  the  living. 

14.  But  all  Hamilcar  Barca’s  skill  could  not  pre- 
vent the  Romans  from  gaining  the  victory.  They 
were  much  improved  now  in  the  management  of 
their  ships,  and  their  men  were  better  sailors.  They 
were,  in  consequence,  able  to  fight  with  the  Cartha- 
ginians as  well  by  sea  as  by  land;  and  the  Roman 
citizens  were  so  determined  not  to  be  stopped  by 
any  difficulties,  that  when  the  first  fleet  was  nearly 
destroyed,  they  fitted  out  another  at  their  own  ex- 
pense. It  was  a battle  at  sea  which  brought  this 
long  war  to  an  end.  The  Romans  attacked  the  Car- 
thaginian vessels  when  they  were  heavily  laden  with 
corn,  and  took  sixty-three  of  them;  a hundred  and 
twenty  were  sunk,  and  the  rest  scattered.  After 


78 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


this,  the  Carthaginians  were  so  completely  crushed, 
that  they  were  obliged  to  make  peace  upon  any 
terms.  They  consented  to  give  up  the  island  of 
Sicily,  and  all  the  other  islands  between  Sicily  and 
Italy,— not  to  make  war  any  more  with  Hiero,  king 
of  Syracuses, — to  restore  all  the  Roman  prisoners, 
without  receiving  any  ransom,  and  to  pay  a large 
sum  of  money.  And  so,  after  twenty-two  years, 
ended  the  first  Punic  war. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  SECOND  PUNIC  WAR, 

BEGAN  B.  C.  218. 

B.  C.  218.  t-  Twenty-three  years  passed  away 
before  war  was  regularly  declared  again 
between  Rome  and  Carthage;  but  the  two  nations 
were  not  friends  to  each  other  all  the  time; — they 
were  always  inclined  to  quarrel,  though  they  were 
not  open  enemies.  During  these  twenty-three  years 
the  Romans  had  to  defend  themselves  against  the 
Gauls,  besides  carrying  on  a war  with  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Sardinia  and  Corsica,  and  trying  to  prevent 
the  subjects  of  Teuta,  queen  of  Illyria,  from  robbing 
ships  at  sea;  and  these  troubles  gave  the  Cartha- 
ginians time  to  recover  their  strength,  and  prepare 
for  another  conflict. 

2.  Hamilcar  Barca  was  the  person  whom  they 
most  depended  upon  for  advice.  His  wish  was  to 
make  a settlement  in  Spain  like  that  in  Sicily,  which 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


79 


was  now  taken  from  them.  He  thought  it  would 
be  of  great  use  in  any  future  wars;  and  as  the  Car- 
thaginians possessed  one  town  there  already,  he 
hoped  by  going  there  to  gain  the  hearts  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  by  degrees  make  them  subjects  of  Car- 
thage. The  greatest  wish  Hamilcar  had,  was  to 
take  revenge  upon  the  Romans  for  the  injury  they 
had  done  his  country;  and  before  leaving  Carthage 
he  took  his  little  boy,  Hannibal,  to  one  of  the 
heathen  temples,  and  there  told  him  to  swear  upon 
the  altar,  that  as  long  as  he  lived  he  would  be  the 
constant  enemy  of  Rome.  The  child  took  the  oath, 
and  never  forgot  it.  Hamilcar  Barca  commanded 
the  Carthaginian  army  in  Spain  for  about  eight 
years,  and  very  much  increased  his  own  reputation 
and  the  power  of  his  country  amongst  the  inhabit- 
ants. He  was  killed  in  battle,  and  his  son-in-law, 
Hasdrubal,  had  the  command  in  his  stead,  and 
founded  the  town  of  New  Carthage  or  Carthagena. 

3.  Hannibal  by  this  time  had  grown  up  to  be  a 
young  man,  of  a generous  disposition,  very  well  in- 
formed, fond  of  study,  and  extremely  handsome,  and 
with  manners  so  pleasant  and  wdnning  that  every 
one  loved  him.  When  Hasdrubal  died,  he  was  at 
once  fixed  upon  as  the  best  person  to  succeed  him. 

4.  The  Carthaginians  now  ruled  over  all  the 
south  of  Spain,  except  the  city  of  Saguntum.  Han- 
nibal wished  much  to  obtain  possession  of  this 
place;  he  therefore  induced  some  of  his  allies  to 
quarrel  with  the  Saguntines  and  then  send  to  him 
for  help,  which  he  was  very  willing  to  grant.  The 
Saguntines  on  their  part  applied  to  the  Romans,  and 
thus  the  Romans  and  Carthaginians  were  once  more 
on  the  point  of  being  at  open  war. 

5.  This  conduct  of  Hannibal  does  not  appear 


8o 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


quite  right,  it  does  not  suit  with  his  character  for 
justice  and  truth;  but  even  the  best  of  heathens  had 
very  false  notions  of  right  and  wrong,  and  seem 
rather  to  have  encouraged  ambition  and  revenge 
than  not. 

6.  The  Romans  sent  to  warn  Hannibal  against 
meddling  with  Saguntum,  but  he  would  not  pay  the 
least  attention  to  them,  and  the  city  was  entirely 
destroyed.  They  afterwards  dispatched  ambassa- 
dors to  Carthage  to  complain  of  Hannibal.  One  of 
these  ambassadors,  Quintus  Fabius,  folded  his  toga, 
or  robe,  as  if  something  were  wrapped  up  in  it,  and 
said  to  the  Carthaginian  senators,  “ Here  we  bring 
you  peace  or  war — choose  whichever  you  please.” — 
“ Give  us  whichever  you  think  proper,”  was  the  re- 
ply. Fabius  unfolded  his  toga,  and  said,  “ I offer 
you  war.” — We  accept  it,”  exclaimed  the  Cartha- 
ginians, “ and  shall  carry  it  on  in  the  same  spirit  in 
which  we  accept  it.”  So  the  second  Punic  war  was 
openly  declared  in  the  year  b.  c.  218. 

7.  Hannibal  no  sooner  heard  that  war  was  pro- 
claimed than  he  prepared  to  fulfill  the  oath  which  he 
had  sworn  when  a boy,  and  to  attack  the  Romans 
in  their  own  country.  The  Alps  lay  between  him 
and  Italy:  they  were  steep  and  rocky,  and  almost 
impassable  in  many  parts,  from  the  snow  which 
covered  them;  but  Hannibal  was  not  to  be  kept 
back  by  any  difficulties.  He  gave  the  command  of 
Spain  to  his  brother,  and  set  forth  with  a large 
army.  Many  of  his  soldiers  became  frightened  after 
they  had  gone  some  way,  and  several  thousands  re- 
turned home;  but  Hannibal  still  proceeded,  with 
50,000  foot-soldiers  and  9,000  horsemen.  The  Ro- 
mans heard  of  his  intentions,  and  they  sent  an  army 
and  a fleet,  commanded  by  one  of  their  best  gen- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


8l 


erals,  Cornelius  Scipio,  to  stop  him;  but  they  do  not 
seem  to  have  imagined  that  Hannibal  could  ever 
really  succeed  in  reaching  Italy.  It  appeared  almost 
impossible  for  such  an  army  to  cross  the  barren  cold 
Alps,  where  there  were  no  roads,  and  no  houses  to 
shelter  them.  Scipio,  therefore,  did  not  make  the 
haste  which  he  should  have  done;  and  before  he 
reached  Spain,  Hannibal  was  far  on  his  way  to  Italy. 
He  had  gone  by  the  banks  of  the  Rhone,  and 
passed  through  the  country  of  the  Gauls  until  he 
reached  the  foot  of  the  Alps.  The  tribes  of  Gauls 
who  were  settled  in  this  neighborhood  did  every 
thing  they  could  to  stop  him,  and  added  greatly  to 
his  difficulties.  His  army  was  now  much  smaller 
than  when  he  began  his  journey — so  many  men  had 
died  on  the  road,  and  those  who  were  left  could 
not  see  the  huge  mountains  rising  up  to  the  clouds, 
without  great  fear  as  to  whether  they  should  ever 
be  able  to  cross  them.  As  for  Hannibal  himself, 
nothing  seemed  to  alarm  him,  and  without  any 
delay  he  ordered  his  men  to  begin  their  march  up- 
wards. For  fifteen  days  the  Carthaginian  army  had 
to  bear  incredible  hardships  and  danger  in  crossing 
these  terrible  mountains.  The  Gauls  hid  them- 
selves amongst  the  rocks  and  rolled  down  large 
stones  upon  them;  the  ground  was  in  many  parts 
covered  with  deep  snow,  and  the  sharp  steep  rocks 
and  frightful  precipices  often  made  it  almost  im- 
possible to  proceed.  Hannibal,  however,  cheered 
his  soldiers  by  the  hope  of  victory  and  plenty  which 
they  might  gain  in  Italy.  From  a height,  which 
gave  them  a view  of  the  fertile  plains  below,  he 
pointed  in  the  direction  of  Rome,  and  told  them 
that  by  climbing  the  Alps,  they  had,  as  it  were, 
scaled  the  walls  of  that  great  city.  The  soldiers 


82 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


were  supported  by  his  example  and  went  on  cheer- 
fully, but  at  length  they  came  to  a place  where  the 
path  was  completely  broken  away,  and  they  could 
see  nothing  before  or  on  each  side  of  them  but  tre- 
mendous precipices.  The  foot-soldiers  began  to  de- 
scend, but  the  side  of  the  mountain  was  covered 
with  ice  and  snow;  and  their  feet  slipping,  they  had 
nothing  to  lay  hold  of.  Many  rolled  down  and  were 
crushed  to  pieces,  and  Hannibal  saw  that  it  would 
be  in  vain  to  let  the  rest  follow.  There  was  but  one 
thing  to  be  done — to  cut  a new  road  through  the 
rock,  and  this  immense  work  he  actually  undertook. 
The  men  labored  for  three  days.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  the  road  was  made,  and  the  whole  army — all 
the  men,  horses,  and  elephants,  passed  along  it,  and 
soon  afterwards  reached  the  foot  of  the  mountain  in 
safety. 

8.  The  dangers  which  Hannibal  had  met  with  in 
passing  the  Alps  must  have  made  every  thing  else 
appear  light  to  him;  he  might  otherwise  have  had 
cause  to  fear  when  he  found  himself  in  Italy;  his 
army  contained  not  half  the  number  of  soldiers 
whom  he  had  set  out  with,  and  the  Romans  waiting 
for  him.  Scipio  was  there.  He  had  returned  upon 
discovering  what  a mistake  he  had  made  in  not 
hastening  to  stop  Hannibal  at  first,  but  he  still  de- 
layed longer  than  was  necessary,  and  gave  Hannibal 
time  to  advance  some  way  into  Italy  before  he  met 
with  him.  The  two  armies  did  meet  however  at 
last,  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Ticinus,  and  there  a 
battle  was  fought,  and  the  Romans  were  defeated. 
Scipio  himself  was  wounded,  and  the  Romans,  now 
in  real  alarm,  began  to  think  that  Hannibal  and  the 
Carthaginians  would  be  much  more  difficult  enemies 
to  conquer  than  they  had  suspected.  Scipio  did 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


83 


not  choose  to  risk  another  battle  until  they  had  help. 
He  therefore  retreated,  and  in  the  meantime  the 
consul,  Sempronius,  who  had  been  sent  by  the  Ro- 
mans to  waste  and  plunder  the  coasts  of  Africa,  and 
so  do  mischief  to  the  Carthaginians  in  their  own 
country,  was  quickly  called  back  to  assist  in  defend- 
ing Italy. 

9.  Hannibal  followed  Scipio;  for  he  was  anx- 
ious for  another  battle,  hoping  that  if  he  could  con- 
quer, he  might  settle  his  soldiers  in  the  towns  and 
the  country  for  the  winter,  and  give  them  rest. 
But  Scipio  was  not  inclined  to  fight,  until  he  had 
recovered  from  his  wound  and  could  command  his 
army;  and  when  Sempronius  arrived,  and  expressed 
his  wish  to  attack  Hannibal,  he  tried  to  dissuade 
him  from  it.  Sempronius,  however,  gained  his 
point,  and  the  battle  began.  It  was  fought  on  the 
banks  of  the  Trebia,  a broad  river,  but  not  deep. 
The  two  armies  were  on  opposite  sides.  Hannibal 
told  some  of  his  men  to  conceal  themselves  amongst 
the  bushes  and  shrubs  by  the  river.  The  rest  he 
ordered  to  prepare  themselves  for  the  battle,  by 
eating  a good  breakfast  and  warming  themselves  at 
their  fires.  Sempronius  did  not  take  the  same  care 
of  his  troops.  Before  they  had  eaten  any  thing, 
they  were  commanded  to  wade  through  the  water, 
although  it  was  bitterly  cold,  a piercing  wind  blow- 
ing, and  the  snow  driving  in  their  faces.  The  sol- 
diers did  as  they  were  ordered;  but,  when  they 
reached  the  other  side  of  the  river,  they  were  so  com- 
pletely benumbed  that  they  could  not  handle  their 
arms  and  had  lost  all  spirit  to  defend  themselves.  The 
Carthaginians  were  completely  victorious,  and  but 
a small  part  of  the  Roman  army  escaped  to  tell  the 
story  of  their  misfortune  and  disgrace. 


84 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


10.  Hannibal  after  this  established  his  soldiers 
peaceably  for  the  winter;  and  the  Romans,  instead 
of  giving  way  to  despair,  prepared  to  raise  fresh 
armies. 

11.  When  the  spring  came,  a new  general  was 
appointed  to  command  them,  the  consul  Flaminius. 
Flaminius  set  out  with  his  army  for  Ariminum,  a 
town  now  called  Rimini,  but  on  his  arrival  he  heard 
that  Hannibal  was  on  his  way  to  Rome.  To  reach 
Rome,  indeed,  was  Hannibal’s  great  object,  and  in 
order  to  obtain  it  he  had  marched  for  three  days 
and  three  nights  through  marshes,  which  were  so 
unhealthy  that  many  of  his  men  and  horses  died, 
and  he  himself  completely  lost  the  use  of  one  eye. 
Flaminius  followed  him  directly,  and  overtook  him 
near  the  lake  Trasimenus.  The  hills  around  this 
lake  came  very  near  each  other,  so  as  to  leave  a 
narrow  valley  between  them.  Flaminius  reached 
this  valley  when  it  was  dark,  and  pitched  his  camp 
in  it.  He  was  not  in  any  fear,  for  he  thought  that 
the  Carthaginians  were  before  him.  At  daybreak 
he  again  began  his  march.  There  was  a fog  rising 
from  the  lake,  which  was  at  the  end  of  the  valley, 
and  the  Romans  could  not  see  plainly.  Suddenly 
they  found  themselves  attacked  on  all  sides.  The 
Carthaginians  had  stationed  themselves  upon  the 
heights,  and  surrounded  them.  A battle  followed, 
so  dreadful  as  never  to  be  forgotten.  The  Romans 
and  Carthaginians  fought  with  such  desperate  eager- 
ness, that  an  earthquake  is  said  to  have  taken  place 
at  the  time  without  their  perceiving  it.  The  consul 
Flaminius  was  slain,  and  fifteen  thousand  of  his 
army  perished;  many  were  drowned  in  the  lake. 

12.  When  the  news  of  this  defeat  reached  Rome, 
the  people  were  in  the  greatest  possible  alarm. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


85 


They  immediately  created  Fabius  Maximus  dicta- 
tor. Fabius  was  a cautious  man,  but  very  deter- 
mined. He  resolved  not  to  risk  any  more  battles, 
but  to  follow  Hannibal  from  place  to  place,  hoping 
to  bring  him  into  difficulties,  and  at  length  weary 
him  out.  It  was  expected  by  every  one  that  Hanni- 
bal would  march  immediately  to  Rome,  but  he  could 
not  venture  to  do  this.  His  army  was  much  dimin- 
ished in  number,  and  no  fresh  troops  were  sent  him 
from  Carthage;  and  Rome  was  too  strong  a place 
to  be  besieged,  unless  he  could  be  certain  of  taking 
it.  He  therefore  attacked  some  of  the  smaller 
towns,  and  his  soldiers  ravaged  the  country,  and 
made  the  people  give  them  provisions. 

13.  Fabius  followed  him  wherever  he  went,  never 
attempting  a battle,  but  only  skirmishing;  he  con- 
trived, however,  sometimes  to  bring  Hannibal  into 
great  difficulties.  On  one  occasion  the  Cartha- 
ginians were  shut  up  in  a narrow  pass,  where  there 
seemed  no  way  of  escape;  but  when  night  came  on, 
Hannibal  ordered  bundles  of  brushwood  to  be  tied 
to  the  horns  of  2,000  oxen,  and  setting  fire  to  it, 
drove  them  towards  his  enemies.  The  Romans 
were  frightened  at  the  strange  sight  and  moved 
away,  and  thus  the  Carthaginians  got  out  of  their 
hands. 

14.  The  Roman  senators  began  to  think  after  a 
time  that  Fabius  was  wrong  in  being  so  very 
cautious,  and  they  gave  orders  that  Minucius,  his 
master  of  the  horse,  should  have  equal  power,  and 
command  one  half  of  the  army.  Minucius  was  rash, 
and  was  soon  tempted  to  fight  with  Hannibal;  but 
he  was  very  nearly  defeated.  Fabius,  however,  in- 
stead of  being  contented  to  leave  him  to  his  fate, 
helped  him  as  much  as  he  possibly  could,  and  quite 

7 


86 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


saved  the  army;  and  Minucius  was  so  struck  with 
his  noble  conduct,  that  when  the  battle  was  over  he 
said  he  did  not  wish  to  command  any  more;  he 
would  yield  all  his  power  to  Fabius.  Fabius  soon 
after  gave  up  the  dictatorship,  and  then  the  consuls 
were  generals  again. 

15.  The  next  great  battle  which  Hannibal  fought 
with  the  Romans  was  the  battle  of  Cannae  in  the 
following  year.  Cannae  was  a little  town  in  Apulia, 
on  the  east  side  of  Italy.  The  battle  was  fought  on 
the  second  of  August.  Unfortunately  for  the  Ro- 
mans, the  wind  blew  the  dust  into  their  faces,  and 
prevented  them  from  seeing.  It  was  a very  dread- 
ful battle  for  the  Romans.  Forty-five  thousand  per- 
sons were  killed,  and  among  them  one  of  the  con- 
suls, and  so  many  knights  that  three  bushels  of  their 
rings  are  said  to  have  been  found  on  the  field. 
Some  of  the  men  of  rank,  who  escaped  to  a neigh- 
boring town,  met  together  to  consult  what  was  to  be 
done;  and  they  began  to  consider  whether  it  would 
not  be  well  to  leave  Italy  altogether,  and  go  to 
some  foreign  court;  but  a brave  young  man,  Scipio 
Africanus,  who  was  one  of  the  military  tribunes, 
hearing  what  they  were  thinking  of  doing,  rushed 
into  the  room  with  his  sword  drawn,  and  declared 
that  he  would  suffer  no  person  to  forsake  his  coun- 
try. This  he  swore  solemnly  himself,  and  every  one 
present  then  did  the  same.  Scipio  Africanus  after- 
wards became  very  celebrated.  He  was  about  eigh- 
teen years  of  age  at  that  time. 

16.  After  the  battle  of  Cannse,  the  commander  of 
the  Carthaginian  cavalry,  whose  name  was  Maher- 
bal,  wished  Hannibal  extremely  to  go  to  Rome. 
Hannibal  refused,  declaring  it  was  not  possible. 
Then  Maherbal  was  very  sorry,  and  exclaimed; — 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  87 

“ Alas ! thou  knowest  how  to  gain  a victory,  but 
not  how  to  use  one.” 

17.  As  Hannibal  was  now  able  to  give  his  sol- 
diers rest,  he  placed  them  in  the  town  of  Capua, 
which  was  friendly  to  him.  Capua  was  a very  beau- 
tiful city,  but  the  people  who  lived  in  it  were  accus- 
tomed to  great  luxuries,  and  indulged  themselves 
in  every  way  they  happened  to  fancy.  When  they 
heard  that  Hannibal  was  approaching,  it  is  said 
that  they  killed  all  the  Romans  who  were  amongst 
them  by  putting  them  into  hot  baths  and  suffocat- 
ing them.  After  this  they  allowed  the  Cartha- 
ginians to  come  into  the  city. 

18.  The  bad  example  of  the  Capuans  did  great 
harm  to  Hannibal’s  soldiers.  They  lived  now  at 
their  ease,  and  were  not  inclined  to  bear  hardships, 
and.  after  staying  the  winter  at  Capua,  they  became 
like  different  persons.  The  Romans,  on  the  con- 
trary, did  their  very  utmost  to  make  up  for  their 
past  losses.  They  never  thought  of  despairing  or 
submitting,  and  would  not  let  any  one  mourn  more 
than  thirty  days,  but  set  to  work  to  form  new 
armies,  and  make  greater  preparations  than  ever  for 
war;  and  because  the  public  money  was  nearly  gone, 
the  senators  brought  their  own  gold  to  be  used  for 
the  general  good. 

19.  Hannibal,  also,  was  very  anxious  for  fresh 
troops,  but  he  had  enemies  at  Carthage  who  were 
constantly  trying  to  injure  him;  and  when  he  sent 
his  brother  Mago  with  a bushel  of  the  knights’ 
rings,  which  had  been  picked  up  at  Cannae,  to  tell 
what  victories  he  had  gained  and  entreat  for  more 
help,  many  of  his  countrymen  could  scarcely  be  per- 
suaded to  think  he  had  done  any  thing  to  deserve 
it.  They  did,  however,  offer  him  some  aid  at  last, 


88 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


and  his  brother  Hasdrubal,  who  was  in  Spain,  was 
allowed  to  leave  that  country  and  join  Hannibal  in 
Italy. 

20.  The  Romans  had  a great  deal  to  attend  to  at 
this  time;  for,  besides  trying  to  drive  Hannibal  out 
of  Italy,  they  were  obliged  to  keep  up  a war  in 
Spain,  and  another  in  Sicily.  We  may  remember  it 
was  in  Sicily  that  the  first  quarrel  between  the  Ro- 
mans and  Carthaginians  broke  out.  The  island  had 
been  given  up  to  the  Romans.  Hiero,  however, 
king  of  Syracuse,  was  allowed  to  keep  his  own 
dominions,  and  was  always  their  firm  friend;  but  he 
died  about  this  time,  and  his  successors  chose  to  ally 
themselves  with  the  Carthaginians,  which  caused 
the  war  between  Rome  and  Carthage  to  be  carried 
on  again  in  Sicily. 

21.  One  of  the  most  remarkable  events  in  the 
Sicilian  war  is  the  siege  of  Syracuse.  There  was  a 
very  clever  man  living  in  Syracuse  named  Archime- 
des. He  was  particularly  noted  for  the  wonderful 
discoveries  he  had  made  about  air  and  water,  and 
the  use  of  screws  and  pulleys,  and  mechanical  in- 
struments. The  stories  which  are  told  of  what  he 
was  able  to  do  by  means  of  his  inventions  are  almost 
too  strange  to  be  believed;  but  he  certainly  con- 
trived to  defend  the  city  for  a long  time,  and  he 
might  have  done  so  much  longer  if  the  Romans  had 
not  found  an  opportunity,  when  the  Syracusans 
were  off  their  guard,  to  take  it  by  surprise.  Archim- 
edes, we  are  told,  continued  his  studies  whilst  the 
siege  was  going  on,  just  as  quietly  as  if  nothing  was 
the  matter.  He  was  found  in  this  way,  seated  at  his 
table  in  his  own  room,  by  a Roman  soldier,  who 
struck  him  on  the  head  and  killed  him.  The  Ro- 
man general  was  very  sorry  for  his  death,  and 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


89 


caused  a monument  to  be  raised  to  his  memory, 
which  he  had  planned  himself  during  his  lifetime, 
describing  one  of  his  wonderful  discoveries.  Syra- 
cuse was  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  cities  in  that 
part  of  the  world,  and  contained  a great  deal  of 
treasure,  with  many  beautiful  pictures  and  statues, 
all  of  which  were  sent  to  Rome.  It  was  the  sight  of 
these  which  first  taught  the  Romans  to  care  for 
such  things.  After  Syracuse  was  taken  the  Romans 
gained  possession  of  all  Sicily,  and  the  Carthagin- 
ians were  obliged  to  leave  it  entirely. 

22.  One  of  the  first  things  which  the  Romans 
did,  when  the  spring  returned  and  they  were  able  to 
begin  the  war  again,  was  to  surround  Capua  with 
their  army.  Hannibal  had  then  left  the  city,  and 
was  attacking  some  of  the  smaller  towns  of  Italy: 
he  did  not  attempt  to  save  it,  and  the  people  of 
Capua  were  too  cowardly  to  defend  themselves  prop- 
erly. The  inabitants  were  justly  afraid  of  falling 
into  the  hands  of  the  Romans,  but  at  last  they  made 
up  their  minds  to  submit.  Many  persons,  however, 
of  the  highest  rank,  killed  themselves  before  their 
enemies  entered  the  city.  The  Romans  treated  the 
inhabitants  very  cruelly,  for  they  were  indignant  at 
the  help  they  had  given  to  Hannibal.  As  for  Han- 
nibal himself,  he  still  ravaged  the  country,  and  once 
even  approached  quite  close  to  the  gates  of  Rome, 
but  he  did  not  yet  attack  it;  for  the  Romans  were 
regaining  their  power  by  degrees,  and  the  only 
hope  that  was  left  him  was  the  arrival  of  his  brother 
Hasdrubal  from  Spain. 

23.  Hasdrubal  had  received  the  orders  of  the 
Carthaginian  senate,  and  even  before  they  arrived 
would  probably  have  joined  his  brother,  but  the  war 
in  Spain  prevented  him.  There  were  two  brothers 


9o 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


who  had  been  commanding  the  Roman  armies  in 
Spain  whilst  Hannibal  was  invading  Italy — Cor- 
nelius and  Publius  Scipio.  Both  were  good  gen- 
erals; but  Hasdrubal  at  last  defeated  them,  and 
they  were  slain  within  thirty  days  of  each  other. 
The  account  of  this  disaster  alarmed  the  Romans 
extremely.  They  did  not  know  whom  to  send  to 
Spain  as  a commander,  but  a young  man  whom  we 
have  heard  of  before — Scipio  Africanus,  the  son  of 
Publius  Scipio — proposed  to  go,  and  though  he  was 
only  twenty-four  years  of  age,  his  offer  was  accepted. 
Scipio  Africanus  was  a handsome,  graceful  person, 
and  very  much  liked,  and  was  especially  remarkable 
for  paying  great  attention  to  the  forms  of  religion; 
but  he  afterwards  showed  himself  to  be  of  a proud, 
overbearing  disposition.  At  the  time  of  his  arrival 
in  Spain,  Hasdrubal  was  bent  upon  setting  out  for 
Italy  and  his  whole  mind  was  so  given  to  this  sub- 
ject that  he  paid  but  little  attention  to  all  that  Scipio 
did;  and,  even  after  Scipio  had  gained  a victory 
over  him,  thought  it  better  to  hasten  to  Italy  as 
quickly  as  he  possibly  could.  The  journey  was 
easier  for  him  than  it  had  been  for  Hannibal;  for  the 
Gauls  did  not  harass  him  in  the  same  way:  it  was, 
in  fact,  performed  almost  too  quickly,  as  he  arrived 
in  Italy  before  Hannibal  expected  him.  The  letters, 
also,  which  were  sent  to  his  brother,  were  never  re- 
ceived. The  messengers  who  caried  them  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Romans,  and  all  Hasdrubal’s  plans 
were  betrayed  to  his  enemies.  The  consequence 
was,  that  before  he  could  reach  Hannibal,  or  Han- 
nibal could  come  to  help  him,  the  Roman  consuls 
having  joined  their  forces,  fell  upon  him  as  he  was 
endeavoring  to  get  away,  and  put  his  army  com- 
pletely to  the  rout.  Thousands  of  his  men  were 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


91 


slain;  and  he  himself,  after  fighting  with  desperate 
courage,  rushed  in  amongst  his  enemies,  and  was 
killed  likewise.  A Roman  cut  off  his  head.  Six 
days  afterwards,  the  Roman  army  returned  to  the 
place  where  Hannibal  was  stationed.  Some  of  the 
prisoners  were  sent  in  chains  to  inform  him  of  the 
victory,  and  instead  of  welcoming  his  brother,  Han- 
nibal saw  the  head  of  Hasdrubal  tossed  into  the 
midst  of  the  camp  by  the  Roman  who  had  killed 
him.  The  unfortunate  general  gazed  upon  the 
ghastly  features  in  horror,  and  exclaimed,  “ Oh 
Carthage,  I see  thy  doom.”  Carthage  was,  indeed, 
doomed,  though  many  battles  were  to  be  fought  for 
its  defence. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
second  punic  war — continued. 

SCIPIO  AFRICANUS  LANDS  IN  AFRICA,  B.  C.  204. 

B.  C.  204.  i-  Scipio  remained  in  Spain  three  years, 
and  at  the  end  of  that  time  the  Romans 
were  masters  of  the  whole  country.  The  great  wish 
of  Scipio  then  was  to  cross,  over  to  Africa,  and  at- 
tack the  Carthaginians  in  their  own  country,  as 
Hannibal  had  invaded  Italy,  hoping  to  take  Rome. 
In  one  respect,  Scipio  was  more  fortunate  than 
Hannibal,  for  he  had  allies  in  Africa,  who  engaged 
to  help  him.  There  were  then  two  princes  in  Nu- 
midia,  a country  near  to  Carthage,  named  Syphax 
and  Masinissa.  These  princes  were  often  quarrel- 
ling with  each  other,  because  Masinissa  laid  claim 
to  part  of  the  dominions  of  Syphax,  and  they  always 


9“ 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


took  different  sides  in  the  wars  between  Carthage  and 
Rome.  There  was  also  another  great  cause  of 
hatred  between  them,  for  both  had  wished  to  marry 
the  same  person — Sophonisba,  the  daughter  of 
Hannibal  Gisco,  a Carthaginian  of  high  rank. 

2.  Sophonisba  was  extremely  beautiful  and  ac- 
complished, and  Masinissa  loved  her  very  much, 
but  Hannibal  Gisco  said  she  should  be  the  wife  of 
Syphax,  and  from  that  time  Masinissa  determined 
to  take  part  with  the  Romans;  and  sending  secretly 
to  Scipio,  promised  to  support  him  when  he  should 
reach  Africa. 

3.  As  soon  as  all  the  necessary  preparations  were 
made,  Scipio  set  sail  for  Africa.  The  Carthaginians 
heard  that  he  was  coming,  yet  they  did  not  make 
any  attempt  to  stop  his  landing.  There  were,  how- 
ever, armies  ready  to  oppose  him  afterwards,  com- 
manded by  Hannibal  Gisco  and  Syphax.  Masi- 
nissa at  first  pretended  to  be  the  enemy  of  the  Ro- 
mans, but  he  very  soon  openly  went  over  to  them. 
Scipio  could  not  at  once  proceed  to  Carthage,  but 
he  was  very  successful  in  his  schemes  against  the 
Carthaginians.  One  night,  in  particular,  as  the 
African  soldiers  were  asleep  in  their  beds,  they  were 
wakened  by  the  smoke  and  flames  of  a dreadful  fire. 
The  tents  were  made  of  straw  and  dry  branches, 
and  the  flames  rushed  over  them  with  horrible  swift- 
ness. The  unfortunate  soldiers  in  despair  fled  from 
the  camp,  but  it  was  only  to  find  a worse  enemy 
waiting  for  them.  The  Roman  troops  surrounded 
the  camp,  and  stood  ready  to  kill  all  who  tried  to 
save  themselves.  Hasdrubal  and  Syphax  escaped, 
but  they  had  lost  so  many  men  that  but  little  hope 
was  left  them  of  being  able  to  defend  themselves 
against  the  Romans. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


93 


4.  After  this  disaster  Syphax  withdrew  to  his 
own  country,  but  Masinissa  followed,  and  attacked 
him.  A battle  was  fought,  in  which  Syphax  was 
defeated.  Masinissa  took  possession  of  Cirta,  the 
capital  city,  in  triumph.  When  lie  entered  the 
palace  Sophonisba  met  him.  She  must  have  been 
very  miserable,  for  her  misfortunes  were  great;  but 
that  which  she  dreaded  above  all  other  evils,  was 
that  she  might  be  given  over  to  the  Romans  and 
exhibited  in  triumph  through  the  streets,  walking 
before  the  car  of  the  conqueror.  In  her  agony  she 
entreated  Masinissa  to  kill  her  rather  than  permit 
her  to  suffer  such  a dreadful  disgrace.  He  swore 
to  save  her,  yet  it  seemed  scarcely  possible  to  keep 
his  oath.  She  was  in  fact  the  prisoner  of  Scipio, 
for  Masinissa  was  only  fighting  under  him;  but  he 
thought  he  could  save  her  if  she  were  his  wife,  and 
he  offered  to  marry  her  that  very  evening.  Sopho- 
nisba consented,  and  when  Scipio  arrived,  Masi- 
nissa presented  her  to  him  as  his  wife.  The  rage 
of  the  Roman  general  was  extreme;  he  still  com- 
manded Masinissa  to  give  her  up,  and  the  prince 
was  afraid  to  disobey.  But  when  he  told  Sopho- 
nisba that  she  was  to  be  the  prisoner  of  Scipio,  he 
added  that  he  had  one  way  of  redeeming  her  from 
slavery,  and  that  was  by  death.  He  then  left 
her,  and  a slave  entering,  presented  her  with  a cup 
of  poison.  Sophonisba  took  it  with  perfect  calm- 
ness. “ Let  my  husband,”  she  said,  “ know  that 
I die  contented  since  I die  by  his  orders,”  and  im- 
mediately drinking  the  poison  she  expired. 

5.  The  Carthaginians  were  now  brought  to  great 
distress,  and  they  determined  to  call  back  Hanni- 
bal from  Italy.  The  order  was  obeyed  with  sorrow, 
for  Hannibal  remembered  the  vow  he  had  made  to 


94 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


avenge  his  country,  and  he  could  not  bear  to  give 
up  the  prospect  of  destroying  Rome.  But  it  was 
impossible  to  refuse,  and  as  soon  as  the  necessary 
preparations  could  be  made,  he  set  sail  for  Africa. 
Before  proceeding  to  Carthage,  however,  he  thought 
it  would  be  desirable  to  obtain  a meeting  with 
Scipio,  and,  if  possible,  arrange  between  them  terms 
of  peace. 

6.  The  meeting  of  the  two  generals  must  have 
been  very  interesting  to  both,  for  they  were  two 
of  the  most  celebrated  men  that  ever  lived.  They 
did  not  however  agree  in  giving  peace  to  Carthage, 
and  the  great  battle  of  Zama  followed.  It  was  the 
last  of  this  long  war.  The  Carthaginians  fought 
with  the  utmost  bravery,  but  they  were  defeated; 
and  Hannibal,  in  despair,  hastened  to  Carthage  to 
advise  that  peace  should  instantly  be  made.  He 
had  left  the  city  as  a youth,  following  his  father, 
with  the  vow  of  hatred  to  Rome.  He  returned  to 
it,  a worn,  weary  soldier  of  forty- five;  all  his  proud 
hopes  were  over,  his  brother  whom  he  loved  was 
dead,  and  thousands  and  thousands  of  the  soldiers 
who  had  followed  him  were  dead  likewise;  his  coun- 
try was  invaded,  and  the  enemies  whom  he  had 
hoped  to  destroy  were  about  to  take  possession  of 
Carthage. 

7.  Brave  deeds  and  great  names  sound  well  in 
history,  but  we  can  little  tell  the  bitter  sorrows 
that  must  be  borne,  and  the  dreadful  scenes  that 
must  be  looked  upon  by  those  who  set  their  hearts 
upon  them. 

8.  The  peace  which  the  Carthaginians  now  made 
was  in  fact  submitting  entirely  to  Rome.  They 
were  obliged  to  give  up  their  possessions  in  Spain, 
and  the  islands  in  the  Mediterranean,  the  whole  of 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


95 


their  fleet,  except  ten  ships,  and  all  their  elephants. 
They  were  besides  compelled  to  restore  all  the  Ro- 
man prisoners — to  pay  a large  sum  of  money — to 
acknowledge  Masinissa  as  king  of  Numidia — to 
promise  never  to  make  war  again  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  Roman  people,  and  to  allow  Scipio  to 
take  away  with  him  a hundred  young  men  as 
pledges  that  these  agreements  should  be  kept. 

9.  Scipio  was  honored  with  a splendid  triumph 
when  he  returned  to  Rome.  It  was  then  that  the 
surname  of  Africanus  was  given  him.  The  unfortu- 
nate Syphax  was  exhibited  in  the  procession,  walk- 
ing in  chains.  He  was  kept  a prisoner  for  his  whole 
life. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

WARS  IN  GREECE. 

A ROMAN  ARMY  SENT  TO  GREECE,  B.  C.  200. 

B.  C.  200.  i-  The  second  Punic  war  was  now 
over;  but  the  Romans  as  usual  began 
another  directly  afterward,  with  Philip  the  Third, 
king  of  Macedon.  This  king  had  given  assistance 
to  Hannibal  whilst  he  was  in  Italy,  but  the  Romans 
then  were  too  much  engaged  with  the  Carthaginians 
to  exert  themselves  much  against  him;  now,  how- 
ever, they  were  glad  to  take  the  first  opportunity  of 
declaring  war.  Macedonia  was  close  to  the  states  of 
Greece.  King  Philip  invaded  Attica,  one  of  these 
states  and  besieged  the  city  of  Athens;  and  the 
Athenians  sent  to  Rome  for  aid,  which  was  very 


96 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


willingly  given;  since,  besides  their  anger  against 
Philip,  the  Romans  knew  that  by  interfering  with 
the  affairs  of  Greece  they  might  gain  power  for 
themselves  whilst  they  assisted  their  friends. 

2.  For  three  years  they  carried  on  the  war  very 
successfully,  professing  to  wish  only  that  the  Greeks 
were  free  from  the  power  of  the  king  of  Macedon, 
but  secretly  desiring  their  own  good,  and  often  stir- 
ring up  the  different  states  to  quarrel  with  each 
other,  in  order  that  they  might  be  called  in,  and  set- 
tle the  disputes  to  their  own  advantage.  At  last  the 
Macedonians  were  so  far  conquered,  that  the  king 
consented  to  make  peace,  and  to  leave  the  Grecian 
states  at  liberty;  and  then  the  Romans  turned 
against  another  enemy,  Antiochus,  the  king  of 
Syria. 

3.  Antiochus  was  the  monarch  of  a great  empire, 
ruling  from  the  straits  of  the  Dardanelles,  then 
called  the  Hellespont,  to  India.  He  was  the  friend 
of  Philip  of  Macedon,  and  had  assisted  him  in  his 
wars. 

4.  There  was  at  that  time  a stranger  at  the  court 
of  this  king,  whose  advice  might  have  been  of  the 
greatest  service  to  him — Hannibal,  the  Carthaginian. 
After  the  peace  proclaimed  between  Rome  and  Car- 
thage, Hannibal  stayed  five  years  in  his  own  coun- 
try, trying  to  improve  the  government  and  do  all 
the  good  in  his  power;  but  finding  that  these  en- 
deavors only  made  him  disliked,  he  at  length  left 
Carthage  and  took  refuge  with  Antiochus  the  Great. 
Antiochus  received  him  with  honor;  but  would  not 
listen  to  his  advice.  He  interfered  in  the  affairs  of 
Greece;  and  because  some  of  the  Greek  states  were 
discontented  at  being  kept  subject  to  the  Romans, 
notwithstanding  their  being  called  free,  he  went 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


97 


over  to  Greece  with  an  army,  and  fought  several 
battles  there  against  the  Romans,  in  which  he  was 
defeated.  Then  being  alarmed,  he  returned  to  his 
own  country,  thinking  that  of  course  he  should  be 
safe  there.  But  he  was  mistaken;  the  Romans  fol- 
lowed him,  and  had  sent  an  army  into  Asia,  com- 
manded by  a brother  of  Scipio  Africanus,  who  was 
afterwards  called  Asiaticus. 

5.  Antiochus  now  gave  Hannibal  the  command 
of  his  fleet,  and  no  doubt  the  Carthaginian  general 
must  have  been  very  glad  to  have  once  more  a 
prospect  of  fighting  against  his  enemies  the  Romans. 
But  before  he  could  distinguish  himself  in  any  way, 
Antiochus  ventured  a great  battle  by  land  against 
Scipio  Asiaticus,  in  which  he  was  so  entirely  de- 
feated, that  he  was  obliged  to  flee  for  his  life  and 
consent  to  make  peace,  and  to  do  all  which  the  Ro- 
mans chose  to  ask. 

6.  Hannibal  was  then  in  great  danger,  for 
amongst  the  many  things  which  were  required  of 
Antiochus,  one  was  that  Hannibal  should  be  given 
up  to  his  enemies.  When  Hannibal  heard  of  the 
agreement  he  fled  to  the  court  of  p "ct--,  kmg  of 
Bithynia,  in  Asia  Minor.  There  the  Romans  pur- 
sued him  with  their  hatred,  and  ambassadors  were 
sent  to  demand  him. 

7.  Prusias  was  a coward;  and  though  he  would 
not  give  Hannibal  up  himself,  he  told  where  he 
might  be  found.  The  Romans  surrounded  the 
house,  and  Hannibal  made  one  last  effort  for  his 
life.  He  tried  to  escape,  but  finding  it  impossible, 
and  unable  to  bear  the  thought  of  being  carried 
captive  to  Rome,  he  took  some  poison  which  he  had 
long  been  accustomed  to  carry  about  with  him,  and 
destroyed  himself. 


98 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


8.  There  is  much  to  admire  in  the  character  of 
Hannibal;  and  when  we  are  shocked  at  this  last 
action  of  his  life,  we  must  remember  that  accord- 
ing to  the  heathen  ideas  self-murder  was  not  a 
crime. 

9.  The  same  year  that  Hannibal  died  his  rival 
Scipio  Africanus  died  also.  Scipio’s  character  was 
not  as  good  as  that  of  Hannibal.  He  was  haughty 
and  sometimes  cruel,  and  not  as  self-denying  and 
simple  in  his  way  of  life.  His  countrymen  accused 
him  of  taking  to  himself  some  money  which  was 
due  to  the  government;  and  Scipio’s  rage  was  so 
great  in  consequence,  that  he  left  Rome  and  went  to 
live  at  his  country-house  in  Campania.  He  died,  and 
was  buried  in  exile;  for  he  had  sworn  that  his  un- 
grateful country  should  not  possess  even  his  bones. 

10.  We  must  not  think  that  the  wars  with  Mace- 
donia were  ended,  although  peace  had  been  made. 
Philip,  king  of  Macedon,  died  of  a broken  heart  at 
having  listened  to  a false  accusation  against  his  fa- 
vorite son  and  given  his  consent  to  his  death.  This 
accusation  was  made  by  Perseus,  another  son — a 
ci  u^i,  jcoiovts;  pHnce.  who  succeeded  to  the  throne 
when  his  father  died.  Perseus  had  many  friends, 
but  he  did  not  know  how  to  keep  them;  for  his  love 
of  money  was  so  great  that,  although  he  promised  to 
pay  the  persons  who  assisted  him  in  his  wars,  he 
could  not  make  up  his  mind  to  keep  his  word,  and 
in  consequence  his  allies  deserted  him.  His  power, 
however,  made  other  nations  jealous  of  him,  and  as 
he  hated  the  Romans  as  much  as  they  hated  him, 
an  occasion  was  easily  found  of  declaring  war.  This 
was  very  unfortunate  for  Perseus,  for  although  at 
first  it  seemed  a little  doubtful  which  would  conquer, 
the  Romans  at  last  defeated  him  entirely,  and  he  was 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


99 


obliged  to  escape  for  his  life.  The  battle  which  was 
fought  between  them  is  called  the  battle  of  Pydna. 
The  Romans  took  possession  of  Macedonia,  and  the 
unhappy  king  was  obliged  to  wander  from  place  to 
place,  until  at  length,  in  utter  despair,  he  gave  him- 
self up  to  his  enemies. 

11.  They  carried  him  a prisoner  to  Rome;  and 
when  the  consul  who  had  gained  the  victory  over 
him  drove  through  the  streets  followed  by  the 
shouts  and  praises  of  his  countrymen,  Perseus,  the 
once-powerful  king,  was  led  in  the  procession  with 
his  son,  loaded  with  chains,  and  worn  with  grief  and 
misery.  He  remained  a prisoner  for  the  rest  of  his 
life,  and  his  son  is  said  to  have  gained  his  livelihood 
by  the  practice  of  turning. 

12.  The  Romans  were  now  acknowledged  lords 
over  Greece,  Macedonia,  a great  part  of  Spain,  and 
Gaul.  They  had  also  been  called  upon  to  decide  in 
some  quarrels  of  the  kings  of  Egypt;  and  as  usual 
took  the  opportunity  of  gaining  a great  deal  of 
power  in  the  country.  The  inhabitants  of  the  states 
which  were  subject  to  them  were  allowed  to  keep 
their  own  customs,  and  were  in  general  governed  by 
their  own  monarchs;  but  the  Romans  were  in  fact 
the  masters;  as  none  of  the  conquered  nations  dared 
do  any  thing  which  they  forbade. 

13.  The  Romans  had  by  this  time  grown  very 
wealthy  and  fond  of  luxury.  Their  wars  with 
Greece  made  them  more  so;  for  the  Greeks  were 
famous  for  their  elegance  and  extravagance,  and 
the  Romans  tried  to  imitate  them. 

14.  Their  city  also  was  much  improved  in 
beauty;  new  bridges,  and  colonnades,  and  theatres 
were  built,  and  statues  of  celebrated  people  were 
erected  in  temples  and  public  places. 


IOO 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


15.  Their  houses  were  furnished  magnificently, 
and  the  Romans  prided  themselves  upon  having  a 
great  many  slaves  and  giving  expensive  entertain- 
ments. The  ladies  spent  so  much  money  upon  their 
dresses  that  a law  was  once  passed  forbidding  them 
to  wear  very  gay  clothes,  or  to  have  more  than  a 
certain  quantity  of  gold  about  them;  but  they  would 
not  bear  this  long,  and  it  was  done  away  with. 

16.  Yet  at  this  very  time  their  religion  and  man- 
ners were  most  barbarous.  They  occasionally  of- 
fered human  sacrifices  to  their  false  gods,  and  de- 
lighted in  a cruel  amusement,  which  consisted  in 
seeing  men,  called  gladiators,  fight  in  public  till  one 
of  them  was  killed.  Their  habits  of  life  were  so 
bad  that  we  cannot  read  of  them  without  being 
shocked,  and  we  shall  find  that  as  their  riches  and 
luxuries  increased  their  vices  increased  also.  And 
if  wealth  and  elegance  will  not  make  men  good, 
neither  will  cleverness,  for  we  read  of  very  clever 
men  about  this  time,  some  of  whose  works  have 
come  down  to  us,  and  are  read  and  admired  at  the 
present  day.  The  greater  part  of  them  wrote 
plays.  Some  were  Romans,  others  were  foreigners 
who  settled  in  Rome.  There  were  clever  lawyers, 
and  physicians,  and  orators,  and  architects  amongst 
the  Romans;  men,  indeed,  able  to  do  almost  every 
thing,  except  to  find  out  how  they  ought  to  worship 
God. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


IOI 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  THIRD  PUNIC  WAR, 

BROKE  OUT  B.  C.  149. 

B.  C.  149.  i-  The  last  war  between  Rome  and 
Carthage  is  one  of  the  most  disgraceful 
parts  of  the  Roman  history;  for  the  Carthaginians 
kept  the  terms  agreed  upon  most  strictly,  and  the 
only  pretence  which  the  Romans  could  find  for 
war,  was  their  defending  themselves  against  Masi- 
nissa,  king  of  Numidia,  who  was  an  ally  of  the  Ro- 
mans. 

2.  Masinissa  was  now  a very  old  man,  but  he  did 
not  seem  at  all  inclined  for  peace,  and  was  constant- 
ly troubling  the  Carthaginians,  entering  their  coun- 
try and  taking  possession  of  their  towns  and  forts. 
The  Carthaginians  complained  to  the  Romans,  as 
they  were  not  allowed  to  carry  on  war  without  their 
consent;  but  the  Romans  took  part  with  Masinissa, 
and  the  Carthaginians  were  then  obliged  to  defend 
themselves. 

3.  The  truth  was,  that  the  Romans  secretly 
longed  for  the  destruction  of  Carthage.  There  was 
one  person  especially  at  Rome  who  was  constantly 
urging  it  upon  them.  This  was  Cato,  the  censor;  a 
rough,  stern  man,  exceedingly  strict  in  insisting 
upon  what  he  thought  right;  but  at  the  same  time 
very  harsh  and  unforgiving.  He  had  heard,  from 
the  ambassadors  who  were  sent  to  Carthage  to  settle 
the  disputes  with  Masinissa,  that  the  city  was  be- 
coming very  rich  and  prosperous  again,  and  he  de- 
clared that  it  might  at  any  moment  turn  against 
Rome;  and,  from  that  time  he  ended  every  speech 


102 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


which  he  made  in  the  senate  by  adding,  “ Carthage 
must  be  destroyed.” 

4.  This  opinion  was  soon  taken  up  by  others;  it 
was  said  that  the  Carthaginians  had  broken  the 
peace  by  fighting  against  Masinissa,  and  therefore  a 
large  army  was  sent  to  Sicily,  which  it  was  well 
known  might  afterwards  proceed  to  Africa.  The 
Carthaginians  dispatched  ambassadors  to  Sicily  to 
explain  their  conduct,  and  ask  what  the  Romans  re- 
quired; but  the  only  answer  which  was  given  them 
was  an  order  to  send  three  hundred  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished persons  in  Carthage,  as  hostages  to 
Rome.  The  Carthaginians  consented;  but  the  Ro- 
mans still  passed  over  to  Africa,  and  stationed  them- 
selves at  Utica,  within  a few  miles  of  Carthage. 
Again  the  Carthaginians  sent  envoys  to  inquire 
what  more  was  demanded.  They  were  told  that 
they  must  give  up  all  their  weapons;  and  soon  after 
hundreds  of  suits  of  armor,  swords,  javelins,  and  all 
kinds  of  warlike  instruments  were  sent  to  the  Ro- 
man camp.  Then  at  last  the  Carthaginians  sup- 
posed that  their  cruel  enemies  would  be  satisfied; 
but  another  order  came — they  were  to  leave  Car- 
thage, and  allow  it  to  be  levelled  with  the  ground: 
they  might  build  another  city,  but  it  was  to  be  ten 
miles  distant  from  the  sea,  and  without  walls  or 
fortifications. 

5.  The  people  of  Carthage  rose  with  one  heart 
against  this  cruel  command:  they  closed  the  gates 
instantly,  and  carried  great  stones  to  the  top  of  the 
walls  in  preparation  for  defence,  and,  in  their  in- 
dignation, all  the  Italians  who  happened  to  be  in 
the  city  were  put  to  death.  Every  one  was  resolved 
to  die  sword  in  hand  rather  than  submit  to  the  proud 
Romans.  The  account  of  their  exertions  is  almost 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


103 


beyond  belief.  Their  weapons  had  been  delivered 
up,  but  the  metal  which  could  be  taken  from  their 
houses  and  buildings  was  used  to  replace  them. 
Prisoners  were  released  and  their  chains  formed 
into  instruments  of  war.  When  iron  and  brass  were 
not  to  be  had,  they  melted  down  statues,  vases,  and 
even  the  ornaments  of  private  families;  and  when 
tow  and  flax  were  needed  for  cords,  the  ladies  of 
rank  cut  off  their  long  hair  and  gladly  gave  it  for 
the  use  of  their  country.  Men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren all  joined  in  the  work:  palaces  were  turned 
into  workshops,  and  every  day  144  bucklers,  300 
swords,  1000  darts,  and  500  lances  and  javelins  were 
made. 

6.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a defence  which 
lasted  for  five  years.  The  Carthaginians  were  not 
entirely  without  help  from  without.  One  of  their 
generals,  named,  like  Hannibal’s  brother,  Hasdru- 
bal,  had  been  for  some  time  in  banishment  with 
others  of  his  countrymen,  and  they  now  formed  an 
army  and  returned  to  assist  in  protecting  the  city. 
They  kept  outside  the  walls,  and  used  to  skirmish 
with  the  Romans,  and  often  were  successful  against 
them,  though  their  numbers  were  too  few  to  drive 
them  away.  But  the  chief  hope  of  the  Carthaginians 
was  in  the  strength  of  their  city,  which  was  built 
upon  a point  of  land  which  stretched  far  out  into 
the  sea.  It  was  thus  surrounded  by  water  on  three 
sides,  and  ships  were  able  to  protect  it;  and  in  order 
to  defend  it  on  the  land  side,  there  were  three 
great  walls  built  across  the  Isthmus.  The  town  was 
also  divided  into  three  parts;  the  harbor,  Megara  a 
suburb,  and  the  citadel.  All  these  different  parts 
were  fortified,  so  that  their  enemies  could  not  after 
climbing  one  wall  take  the  city,  but  were  obliged 


104 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


to  make  themselves  masters  of  each  part  sepa- 
rately. 

7.  The  Romans  soon  perceived  that  it  would  be 
much  more  difficult  to  destroy  Carthage  than  they 
had  at  first  imagined,  and  they  sent  a new  general 
to  command  their  armies — Scipio  yEmilianus.  This 
Scipio  was  not  a very  good  man,  though  he  was  a 
brave  and  skilful  soldier.  He  had  not  a great,  noble 
mind;  for  he  thought  much  of  himself,  and  loved  to 
make  a display  and  be  admired.  He  was  the  son  of 
the  general  who  defeated  Perseus,  king  of  Macedon, 
and  did  not  belong  to  the  Scipio  family  by  birth, 
but  had  been  adopted  as  the  grandson  of  Scipio 
Africanus,  on  which  account  the  name  was  given 
him. 

8.  Scipio  HLmilianus  set  sail  for  Carthage,  with 
the  full  belief  that  he  should  subdue  it.  His  intention 
was  to  prevent  the  inabitants  from  obtaining  pro- 
visions, and  so  force  them  to  yield  from  hunger. 
Immediately  upon  landing  he  took  the  command  of 
the  Roman  army,  and  attacked  the  suburb  of  Me- 
gara.  The  Carthaginians  could  not  withstand  him, 
and  he-  obtained  possession  of  it.  Hasdrubal  was 
now  within  the  city,  and  in  revenge  for  the  loss  of 
Megara,  he  placed  all  the  Roman  prisoners  who 
were  in  his  power  on  the  wall  facing  the  camp,  and 
after  torturing  them  in  the  most  cruel  manner, 
caused  them  to  be  dashed  down  headlong.  The  next 
thing  Scipio  did  was  to  build  towers  and  dig  ditches 
across  the  isthmus,  to  prevent  any  friends  of  the 
Carthaginians  from  helping  them  by  land;  and  then 
he  set  to  work  to  stop  up  the  harbor,  and  hinder  any 
provisions  from  being  brought  by  sea.  For  this 
purpose  he  ordered  his  men  to  cast  huge  stones  into 
the  sea  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor,  piling  them 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


105 


one  upon  another  to  make  what  is  called  a mole, 
and  at  first  the  Carthaginians  laughed  their  work 
to  scorn.  But  the  Romans  went  on  diligently,  and 
the  great  wall  which  was  to  shut  out  the  sea  and 
prevent  ships  from  coming  into  the  harbor,  rose 
higher  and  higher,  till  at  length  it  became  a huge 
broad  barrier,  which  no  vessel  could  pass. 

9.  The  Carthaginians  did  not  laugh  then — they 
saw  that  the  Romans  had  been  too  clever  for  them; 
but  when  men  are  in  great  danger  they  often  be- 
come very  ingenious.  And  as  it  would  have  been  in 
vain  to  attempt  to  destroy  the  mole,  the  Carthagin- 
ians cut  a new  passage  to  the  sea  through  some 
rocks,  and  built  fifty  ships  quickly  and  quite  secretly; 
and,  before  the  Romans  in  the  least  suspected  what 
they  were  doing,  the  little  fleet  sailed  forth  from  the 
harbor.  It  seems  as  if  the  Carthaginians  would 
then  have  done  well  to  attack  the  Roman  fleet  at 
once,  but  they  did  not.  After  braving  their  ene- 
mies in  this  way,  the  ships  went  back  again. 
Though  this  first  plan  of  Scipio’s  was  defeated,  he 
still  kept  to  his  idea  of  stopping  the  provisions,  and 
his  next  endeavor  succeeded.  He  left  Carthage 
and  attacked  the  town  from  which  all  the  food  was 
supplied.  When  this  was  taken  the  last  hope  of 
the  unhappy  Carthaginians  was  gone.  They  were 
compelled  to  bear  the  dreadful  pangs  of  hunger, 
besides  being  treated  in  the  most  cruel  way  by 
Hasdrubal,  who  made  himself  a complete  tyrant 
over  them.  Their  state  was  very  fearful.  We  can- 
not wonder  that  the  Romans  at  length  gained  the 
point  for  which  they  had  been  so  long  striving. 

10.  It  was  at  night  that  they  succeeded  in  scaling 
the  last  wall  which  shut  in  the  city.  Every  thing 
was  then  in  their  power;  the  gates  were  opened,  and 


io6 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


the  troops  entered.  They  assembled  in  the  market- 
place, from  which  three  steep  streets  led  up  to  the 
citadel.  Tall  houses,  six  stories  high,  rose  on  each 
side  of  these  streets;  the  roofs  were  flat,  and  the 
frightened  inhabitants  fled  to  them,  carrying  stones 
and  heavy  weights,  which  they  threw  down  upon 
their  enemies  as  they  passed  along.  One  division 
of  the  Romans  rushed  into  the  houses  to  revenge 
themselves.  They  fought  from  room  to  room,  con- 
quering one  house  after  another;  and  the  Cartha- 
ginians opposed  them  at  every  step,  till  at  last  they 
reached  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  where  many  were 
killed  by  the  Romans;  and  others  in  desperation 
flung  themselves  into  the  streets  below.  The  groans 
of  the  wounded  and  the  dying  were  mingled  in  that 
awful  hour  with  the  loud  shouts  of  the  conquerors; 
but  they  brought  no  feeling  of  mercy  to  the  hearts 
of  the  fierce  Romans.  On  they  passed,  thinking 
only  of  victory;  whilst  the  poor  famished  Cartha- 
ginians, who  were  suffered  to  escape,  devoured  the 
dead  bodies  of  their  fellow-citizens  to  satisfy  their 
ravenous  hunger. 

11.  At  length  the  Romans  once  more  collected 
together  before  the  gates  of  the  citadel,  and  an 
order  was  given  to  set  fire  to  the  three  streets.  The 
misery  of  the  Carthaginians  was  then  at  its  height. 
The  fire  spread  over  the  city,  destroying  palaces, 
and  public  buildings,  and  splendid  houses,  with  all 
the  rich  furniture  and  costly  treasures  that  had  been 
heaped  together  year  by  year,  and  bringing  a horri- 
ble death  upon  thousands  of  the  aged  and  the  help- 
less, who  died  by  the  scorching  flames  or  the  crush- 
ing weight  of  the  falling  houses. 

12.  For  six  days  the  fire  raged,  and  the  inhabit- 
ants, who  had  sought  refuge  in  the  citadel,  gazed 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


107 


upon  it  with  the  certainty  that  it  would  be  vain  any 
longer  to  resist  their  terrible  conquerors.  On  the 
seventh  day  they  humbled  themselves  to  entreat 
for  mercy.  It  was  granted;  but  the  mercy  of  the 
Romans  was  too  often  cruelty.  Fifty  thousand  men 
and  women  left  the  citadel,  and  were  sentenced  to  be 
sold  as  slaves.  Hasdrubal,  his  wife  and  children, 
and  900  deserters,  whom  Scipio  had  refused  to  par- 
don, remained  behind.  They  stationed  themselves 
in  the  temple  of  iEsculapius,  which  was  built  upon 
the  highest  part  of ' the  citadel.  Scipio  drew  his 
army  round  it;  but  the  garrison  defended  them- 
selves at  all  points  both  by  day  and  night.  The 
cowardice  of  Hasdrubal’s  character  was  now  shown. 
Seeing  no  possibility  of  escape,  he  secretly  left  the 
temple,  threw  himself  at  the  feet  of  Scipio,  and 
entreated  for  his  life.  Scipio  promised  to  spare 
him;  but  the  next  day  he  brought  him  forth  in  sight 
of  the  temple,  to  exhibit  him  to  his  former  friends. 
The  wife  of  Hasdrubal  came  out  upon  the  roof  of 
the  building  to  behold  him.  She  was  dressed  in  her 
richest  robes,  prepared,  it  might  have  seemed,  for  a 
joyful  festival;  her  children  were  by  her  side.  With 
bitter  taunts  she  reproached  her  husband  for  his 
desertion,  and  then  ordering  the  temple  to  be  set 
on  fire,  she  stabbed  her  children,  threw  their  bodies 
into  the  flames,  and  died  herself,  with  her  com- 
panions, amidst  the  burning  ruins. 

13.  As  Scipio  afterwards  looked  from  the  height 
of  the  citadel  upon  the  desolation  which  war  had 
caused  tears,  it  is  said,  rushed  to  his  eyes,  and 
turning  to  Polybius,  the  historian,  who  had  accom- 
panied him  from  Italy,  he  repeated  two  lines  of  the 
poet  Homer: 


io8 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


“The  day  will  come,  when  Troy  shall  sink  in  fire, 
And  Priam’s  people,  with  himself  expire.  ” 


“What  do  you  mean?”  inquired  Polybius.  “This,” 
replied  Scipio,  “ may  hereafter  be  the  fate  of 
Rome.” 

14.  According  to  a decree  of  the  Roman  senate, 
Carthage  was  entirely  burnt  and  then  razed  to  the 
ground,  and  a curse  was  pronounced  on  whoever 
should  rebuild  it;  and  when  Scipio  left  Africa,  a 
mass  of  blackened  ruins  marked  the  spot  where  one 
of  the  most  beautiful,  wealthy,  and  powerful  cities 
in  the  world  had  stood. 

15.  Three  months  afterwards  another  city,  famed 
for  its  splendor  and  treasures,  fell  a prey  to  the 
Romans.  This  was  Corinth,  in  Greece,  which  had 
rebelled  against  the  Roman  power,  together  with 
some  of  the  other  Grecian  states.  It  was  first  plun- 
dered and  then  burnt.  Many  of  the  beautiful 
statues  and  pictures  for  which  the  Greeks,  and  es- 
pecially the  Corinthians  were  celebrated,  were  taken 
to  Rome.  Thus  Greece,  as  well  as  Africa,  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Romans,  and  both  countries,  like 
Macedonia  and  Thessaly,  were  governed  in  future 
by  officers  sent  from  Rome,  with  the  title  of  pro- 
consuls. 

16.  At  this  period  the  Romans  completed  the 
conquest  of  Spain.  Scipio  .T?milianus,  who,  like  his 
adopted  grandfather  was  called  Africanus,  on  ac- 
count of  his  victories  in  Africa,  distinguished  him- 
self greatly  in  this  war,  but  he  showed  his  cruelty 
also,  for,  on  one  occasion,  he  caused  the  hands  of 
400  persons  to  be  cut  off,  because  they  were  in- 
clined to  assist  the  town  of  Numantia,  which  he  was 
besieging. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  IO9 

1 7.  The  inhabitants  of  Numantia  are  very  famous 
for  the  resistance  they  made  to  Scipio.  They  de- 
fended themselves  for  ten  years,  and  when  at  last 
they  submitted,  they  were  so  thin,  and  weak,  and 
ghastly,  from  hunger,  that  only  fifty  persons  could 
be  found  amongst  them  fit  to  follow  in  the  triumph 
of  Scipio  when  he  returned  to  Rome. 

18.  During  these  foreign  wars,  the  Romans  were 
at  peace  at  home,  except  about  the  time  when  Nu- 
mantia was  taken.  There  was  then  a great  insur- 
rection amongst  the  slaves,  who  had  been  brought 
from  the  different  conquered  countries,  and  who 
were  treated  very  cruelly.  At  first  it  seemed  as  if 
this  insurrection  would  be  dangerous,  but  after- 
wards it  was  put  down.  Twenty  thousand  of  the 
slaves  were  killed  by  the  sword,  and  some  were 
nailed  on  crosses  in  the  public  roads. 

19.  Crucifixion  was  the  worst  and  most  shameful 
kind  of  punishment  by  death  amongst  the  Romans; 
and  never  therefore  inflicted  on  a Roman  citizen, 
but  only  on  those  whom  they  considered  the  vilest 
and  most  worthless  of  mankind,  such  as  their  slaves. 
We  have  learned  to  think  of  it  very  differently,  for 
a cross  is  now  the  sign  of  every  thing  which  is  most 
sacred. 

20.  Besides  the  conquests  of  the  Romans,  their 
dominions  were  also  at  this  period  increased  by  the 
death  of  Attalus,  king  of  Pergamus,  who  left  his 
kingdom  to  them  in  his  will.  He  was  a weak, 
wicked  prince,  and  it  is  supposed  that  the  Romans 
themselves  forced  him  to  do  it. 


I 10 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  GRACCHI. 

TIBERIUS  GRACCHUS  ELECTED  TRIBUNE,  B.  C.  133. 

B.  C.  133.  1-  The  history  of  the  Gracchi,  and  of 

their  attempts  to  relieve  the  poorer  citi- 
zens of  Rome,  is  the  next  important  point  to  be 
noticed. 

2.  Tiberius  and  Caius  Gracchus  were  the  grand- 
sons of  the  first  Scipio  Africanus,  the  rival  of  Hanni- 
bal. Their  mother,  Cornelia,  was  his  daughter. 
She  was  a very  remarkable  person,  good  and  clever, 
as  well  as  beautiful  and  elegant.  Her  daughter 
Sempronia  married  Scipio  yEmilianus. 

3.  Cornelia  took  great  pains  to  educate  her  chil- 
dren well,  and  as  they  grew  up  she  became  very 
proud  of  them.  A lady  one  day  came  to  pay  her  a 
visit,  who  was  dressed  very  splendidly,  and  wore  a 
great  many  jewels.  Whilst  they  were  talking  to- 
gether, she  begged  Cornelia  to  show  her  some  of 
her  ornaments.  Cornelia  sent  for  her  sons,  and 
when  they  appeared,  she  said,  “ These  are  my  jewels, 
and  their  virtues  are  my  ornaments.”  She  had  in- 
deed much  cause  for  satisfaction.  Her  sons  were 
honorable,  kind-hearted,  handsome,  and  engaging. 
Their  father  had  been  famous  for  his  uprightness 
and  benevolence,  and  they  were  like  him,  espe- 
cially Tiberius,  the  elder,  who  always  took  the  part 
of  oppressed  persons,  and  was  particularly  desirous 
that  the  Romans  should  be  less  luxurious,  and  more 
strict  in  their  manners  and  customs.  His  mother, 
we  are  told,  thought  so  much  of  his  talents  and 
power,  that  she  persuaded  him  to  offer  himself  as 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  I I I 

a tribune  of  the  people.  “ I am  commonly  called,” 
she  said,  “ by  way  of  honor,  the  mother-in-law  of 
the  second  Africanus.  Why  do  they  not  call  me  the 
mother  of  the  Gracchi?  ” She  lived  to  have  her 
wish  fulfilled,  but  it  brought  her  sorrow  and  deso- 
lation for  the  remainder  of  her  days. 

4.  The  same  year  in  which  Scipio  /Emilianus 
took  Numantia,  b.  c.  133,  Tiberius  Gracchus  offered 

. himself  as  a tribune,  and  was  chosen.  The  first 
thing  he  did  was  to  bring  forward  an  old  law  which 
had  been  much  neglected,  and  which  he  thought 
would  be  a great  benefit  to  the  poor.  This  law  was 
to  prevent  any  person  from  occupying  more  than  a 
certain  portion  of  the  public  lands.  We  may  re- 
member that  it  had  been  passed  some  years  before, 
but  the  rich  did  not  chose  to  pay  attention  to  it,  and 
still  went  on  using  the  land  as  their  own;  or,  at 
least,  paying  only  a very  small  sum  of  money  for  it, 
and  employing  the  slaves  whom  they  had  taken  in 
wars  in  cultivating  it,  instead  of  the  people  of  Italy; 
so  that  the  poor  were  left  to  live  as  they  could,  with- 
out work,  or  land,  or  money. 

5.  When  Tiberius  first  proposed  to  restore  the 
old  law,  and  to  give  the  people  some  of  the  public 
land,  almost  every  rich  person  in  Rome  was  indig- 
nant with  him.  He  was  abused  and  called  by  hard 
names,  and  Octavius,  another  tribune,  declared  that 
it  should  not  be  done;  but  Tiberius  would  not  be 
stopped,  and  found  means  to  prevent  Octavius  from 
holding  his  office  of  tribune  any  longer. 

6.  This  was  considered  very  wrong  in  Tiberius, 
and  his  enemies  complained;  but  he  knew  that  he 
had  acted  for  the  best,  and  when  Octavius  was  no 
longer  tribune,  the  law  was  passed.  It  was  about 
this  time  that  Attalus,  king  of  Pergamus,  left  his 


I 12 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


kingdom  and  treasures  to  the  Romans,  as  was 
mentioned  in  the  last  chapter.  Tiberius  imme- 
diately proposed  that  the  treasures  should  be  divided 
amongst  the  poor  citizens  to  help  them  in  buying 
cattle  and  things  necessary  for  working  the  lands 
that  were  to  be  given  them;  and  the  great  senators, 
in  consequence,  were  more  angry  with  hirr  than 
ever.  Indeed  he  was  so  much  hated,  that  his  life 
would  have  been  in  danger,  if  he  had  not  been  a 
tribune,  and  his  person  therefore  held  sacred.  When 
the  year  of  office  was  over,  Tiberius  offered  himself 
again  to  be  chosen,  for  besides  his  wish  of  doing 
good,  it  was  the  only  hope  he  had  of  safety. 

7.  The  election  took  place  about  harvest-time, 
when  most  of  the  respectable  country-people  were 
engaged,  and  could  not  attend.  The  enemies  of  Ti- 
berius, seeing  that  he  was  likely  to  be  chosen,  de- 
clared that  as  so  many  persons  were  absent,  the 
election  was  not  lawful,  and  they  would  not  let  it 
be  finished  till  the  following  day. 

8.  Tiberius  well  knew  what  this  meant,  and  was 
afraid  that  some  evil  might  happen  to  him  if  he 
went  to  the  senate  again;  but  his  friends  came  to 
him  early  the  next  morning,  and  persuaded  him  to 
go.  The  business  began,  and  whilst  it  was  going 
on,  Fulvius  Fkccus,  a friend  to  Tiberius,  came  up 
to  him,  and  told  him  that  the  senators  were  at 
that  very  moment  planning  to  kill  him.  As  soon 
as  Tiberius  heard  this,  he  gathered  his  robe  around 
him,  as  if  preparing  for  flight,  and  put  his  hand 
to  his  head,  which  was  the  signal  for  calling  his 
friends  to  his  assistance.  Immediately  there  was 
a great  disturbance.  Some  persons  collected  around 
Gracchus  to  defend  him,  whilst  a body  of  the  sena- 
tors rushed  from  the  place  of  meeting,  armed  with 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  I 13 

sticks  and  clubs  and  the  legs  of  the  benches  on 
which  they  had  sat,  and  knocking  down  every  one 
who  came  in  their  way.  Tiberius  endeavored  to 
save  himself,  but  in  his  haste  unfortunately  fell; 
and  whilst  attempting  to  rise,  he  was  struck  on 
the  head  and  stunned:  a few  more  blows  from  the 
enemies  who  surrounded  him,  killed  him.  His 
body  was  dragged  through  the  streets,  and  thrown 
into  the  Tiber,  together  with  those  of  three  hundred 
of  his  friends,  who  were  killed  in  the  tumult  which 
followed  his  death.  A wealthy  and  hard-hearted 
patrician,  Scipio  Nasica,  was  the  chief  enemy  of 
Tiberius,  and  some  have  even  said  that  it  was  he 
who  murdered  him;  but  he  was  punished  for  his 
cruelty,  for  although  the  senators  took  his  part, 
the  people  were  so  angry  with  him  that  he  was 
obliged  to  leave  Rome.  He  never  returned,  but 
died  in  exile. 

9.  Scipio  HImilianus  came  back  to  Rome  about 
this  time.  Though  he  was  the  brother-in-law  of 
Tiberius  Gracchus,  he  did  not  agree  with  him,  and 
said  that  if  he  had  tried  to  stir  the  people  up  to 
rebellion  he  deserved  to  die.  Scipio  began  to  op- 
pose the  plans  which  Tiberius  had  brought  forward 
for  the  good  of  the  people.  One  day  in  particular 
he  was  very  earnest  upon  this  subject,  and  the  dis- 
cussion which  was  begun  was  left  without  being 
ended.  It  was  intended  to  be  finished  the  next  day; 
but  when  the  next  day  came,  Scipio  .TLmilianus 
was  found  dead  in  his  bed.  He  had  been  murdered, 
but  the  senators  dared  not  inquire  by  whom.  When 
such  a dreadful  crime  was  allowed  to  pass  unnoticed, 
the  Roman  government  could  have  had  but  very 
little  power. 

10.  Cornelia  must  before  this  have  seen  how 


114  HISTORY  OF  ROME. 

much  happier  it  is  to  live  a quiet  retired  life  than 
to  be  put  forward  in  places  of  authority.  She  no 
longer  desired  public  honors  for  her  children,  and 
entreated  Caius,  her  only  surviving  son,  not  to  fol- 
low his  brother’s  example.  She  wrote  most  sad 
letters  to  him,  begging  him  at  least  to  wait  till  she 
was  dead  before  he  offered  himself  for  the  trib- 
uneship,  so  that  she  might  not  feel  the  misfortunes 
which  he  must  bring  upon  himself  by  it.  But 
Caius  was  not  to  be  daunted  by  fears.  He  was 
several  years  younger  than  Tiberius — full  of  energy, 
brave,  and  without  any  thought  for  himself,  and 
the  idea  of  following  out  his  brother’s  plans  was 
so  constantly  in  his  mind,  that  even  in  his  dreams 
the  form  of  Tiberius  seemed  to  appear  before  him, 
reproaching  him  for  delay,  and  telling  him  that  it 
must  be  his  fate  to  live  the  same  life  and  die  the 
same  death. 

11.  It  was  about  three  years  after  the  death  of 
Tiberius  Gracchus  that  his  brother  Caius,  was  made 
tribune.  He  immediately  began,  like  Tiberius,  to 
introduce  laws  for  the  good  of  the  poor;  and  found 
quite  as  much  trouble  in  consequence.  All  his 
plans  were  opposed,  and  the  senators  endeavored 
to  gain  the  affections  of  the  people  from  him,  by 
bringing  forward  one  of  their  own  party  who  pre- 
tended to  be  as  great  a friend  to  the  poor  as  Caius, 
but  who  in  reality  only  intended  to  deceive  them. 

12.  Caius,  however,  went  on  very  zealously.  He 
tried  in  every  possible  way  to  benefit  his  distressed 
fellow-countrymen,  but  his  enemies  were  too  cun- 
ning for  him.  The  people  began  to  like  him  less 
because  so  much  was  said  against  him;  and  after  he 
had  been  twice  chosen  as  tribune,  and  offered  him- 
self a third  time,  they  would  not  elect  him. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  I 15 

13.  Caius,  like  Tiberius,  knew  that  his  life  would 
not  be  safe  when  he  once  ceased  to  be  a tribune, 
and  it  was  soon  clear  that  the  senate  were  deter- 
mined to  revenge  themselves  upon  him,  for  they 
proposed  to  do  away  with  all  his  laws,  and  to  give 
the  consuls  as  much  power  as  if  they  had  been  dic- 
tators. Dictators  could  do  any  thing  they  chose — 
nothing  could  stand  against  them.  When  Caius 
heard  this,  he  prepared  to  defend  himself.  Ful- 
vius  Flaccus,  his  brother’s  friend,  was  his  friend 
likewise,  and  proposed  that  they  should  collect  their 
followers  and  station  themselves  upon  Mount  Aven- 
tine,  one  of  the  seven  hills  upon  which  the  city  was 
built.  Caius  consented,  but  he  was  not  at  all  will- 
ing to  fight  against  his  fellow-countrymen,  and 
took  no  weapons  with  him  except  a dagger,  which 
he  put  under  his  robe.  As  he  was  leaving  his  house, 
his  wife  endeavored  to  stop  him.  She  held  his 
little  son  in  her  arms,  and  seizing  his  robe,  en- 
treated him  for  the  sake  of  his  child,  and  for  her 
own  sake,  to  consider  what  he  was  going  to  do, 
and  whether  the  murderers  of  his  brother  were  not 
preparing  the  same  fate  for  him.  The  unhappy 
Caius  burst  into  tears,  and  could  not  answer.  He 
strove  to  tear  himself  away  from  her,  but  she  clung 
to  him,  and  followed  him  a little  distance,  until  at 
length,  worn  with  misery,  she  sank  down  fainting 
in  the  street,  and  was  carried  to  the  house  of  her 
brother. 

14.  There  was  civil  war  now  in  Rome  between 
Caius  Gracchus  and  his  friends  on  Mount  Aventine, 
and  the  senators  and  their  party  in  the  city.  But 
it  did  not  last  very  long.  When  Mount  Aventine 
was  attacked,  Fulvius  Flaccus  was  killed,  and  Caius 
was  obliged  to  escape  for  his  life;  only  one  per- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


I 1 6 

son,  a slave,  was  with  him.  They  fled  to  a wood, 
and  there  they  intended  to  hide  themselves,  but 
their  pursuers  came  after  them.  Caius  dreaded  to 
fall  into  the  hands  of  such  cruel  enemies,  and  when 
he  found  that  they  were  close  upon  him,  he  com- 
manded his  slave  to  kill  him.  The  man  plunged  his 
dagger  into  his  master’s  breast,  and  being  resolved 
not  to  outlive  him,  thrust  it  also  into  his  own,  and 
expired  by  his  side. 

15.  The  head  of  Gracchus  was  cut  off,  and  car- 
ried to  the  consul.  A reward  had  been  promised 
for  it,  which  was  to  be  its  weight  in  gold.  The 
money  was  given,  but  it  was  found  upon  examina- 
tion that  the  brains  had  been  taken  out,  and  the 
skull  filled  with  lead  to  make  it  heavier.  The  body 
of  Gracchus  was  at  first  thrown  into  the  Tiber,  but 
it  was  afterwards  taken  out  and  carried  to  his 
mother  Cornelia,  who  caused  it  to  be  buried  with 
funeral  honors.  Cornelia  never  recovered  the  loss 
of  her  noble  sons.  She  never  mentioned  them 
but  with  tears,  and  upon  her  death  a statue  was 
erected  to  her,  with  the  inscription  which  she  had 
so  earnestly  desired,  “ Cornelia,  the  mother  of  the 
Gracchi.” 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

WAR  WITH  JUGURTHA,  KING  OF  NUMIDIA. 

FIRST  DECLARED,  B.  C.  III. 

B.  C.  iii.  t-  After  the  disturbances  at  Rome,  in 
the  time  of  the  Gracchi,  the  next  im- 
portant event  is  the  war  with  Jugurtha,  king  of  Nu- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


117 


midia.  Masinissa,  the  old  king  who  made  himself 
so  famous  in  the  third  Punic  war,  left  his  dominions 
at  his  death  to  his  son  Micipsa.  Micipsa  had  two 
children,  Hiempsal  and  Adherbal,  and  an  adopted 
son  named  Jugurtha.  These  three  he  desired  should 
reign  together.  Jugurtha  was  a young  man,  very 
clever,  very  handsome,  and  agreeable  in  manner;  but 
proud,  treacherous,  and  cruel.  He  did  not  choose 
to  reign  as  an  equal,  for  he  desired  to  have  the 
kingdom  for  himself,  and  to  gain  this  object  he 
caused  Hiempsal  to  be  murdered.  This  wicked 
action  filled  Adherbal  with  alarm,  as  he  supposed 
that  he  should  share  the  same  fate.  He  applied  to 
the  Romans  for  protection;  but  when  Jugurtha 
knew  it,  he  sent  large  sums  of  money  to  the  sena- 
tors, to  bribe  them;  and  in  consequence,  instead  of 
promising  to  assist  Adherbal,  they  said  they  would 
divide  the  kingdom  between  him  and  Jugurtha, 
which  they  did,  taking  care  to  give  Jugurtha  the 
best  share.  Adherbal  could  not  resist,  for  scarcely 
any  one  dared  to  resist  the  Romans;  but,  as  was 
naturally  to  be  expected,  he  and  Jugurtha  quarrelled 
again,  and  proceeded  to  open  war.  Jugurtha  be- 
sieged Cirta,  Adherbal’s  capital  city.  The  inhabit- 
ants forced  Adherbal  to  yield  it  up,  because  Jugur- 
tha had  promised  to  treat  them  well;  but  he  com- 
pletely broke  his  word,  for  he  put  the  soldiers  and 
foreign  merchants  to  death,  and  then  seized  Adher- 
bal, and  after  torturing  him  in  the  most  cruel  man- 
ner, killed  him. 

2.  The  Romans  were  forced  to  take  notice  of  this, 
and  they  declared  war  against  Jugurtha  in  the  year 
b.  c.  hi;  but  he  bribed  the  generals  to  make  peace, 
and  then  broke  his  agreement  as  he  chose.  At  last 
he  was  summoned  to  Rome  to  answer  for  his  con- 


Q 


I 1 8 HISTORY  OF.  ROME. 

duct,  and  though  he  was  a king,  he  was  obliged  to 
go,  because  Numidia  was  subject  to  the  Romans. 
He  took  with  him  large  sums  of  money,  which  he 
gave  to  the  senators  to  induce  them  to  be  his 
friends,  and  very  probably  he  would  never  have 
been  punished,  if  he  had  not,  whilst  he  was  at 
Rome,  caused  the  murder  of  one  of  Masinissa’s 
grandsons,  who  was  living  there.  Bomilcar,  one 
of  his  generals,  actually  committed  the  mur- 
der; but  it  was  well  known  that  he  was  ordered 
to  do  so  by  Jugurtha,  and  they  were  both 
obliged  to  leave  Rome  instantly,  and  war  was  de- 
clared. 

3.  The  Roman  senate  made  Cecilius  Metellus  the 
commander  of  their  armies,  and  he  chose  Caius  Ma- 
rius to  be,  what  was  called,  his  legate  or  lieutenant, 
the  next  in  command  to  himself.  They  were  both 
very  celebrated  persons,  but  not  at  all  alike  in  char- 
acter. Metellus  was  honorable  and  unselfish,  and 
had  a great  deal  of  energy;  but  he  had  one  great 
fault,  which  was  pride,  and  this  brought  many 
troubles  upon  himself  and  his  country.  Marius  was 
a man  of  low  birth;  his  manners  were  rough  and 
rude,  but  he  was  very  ambitious,  and  liked  power 
just  as  much  as  if  he  had  been  born  to  it;  and  as 
he  had  great  talents,  he  rose  from  a common  soldier 
to  be  one  of  the  first  people  in  Rome.  He  and 
Metellus  were  very  good  friends  at  first,  but  they 
were  not  persons  likely  to  suit  each  other  long. 
They  were  successful,  however,  in  the  war  against 
Jugurtha,  and  after  some  sieges  and  battles,  bribed 
Bomilcar,  Jugurtha’s  general,  to  take  the  part  of  the 
Romans.  Bomilcar  persuaded  another  of  the  Nu- 
midian  generals  to  do  the  same;  in  fact,  Jugurtha 
had  no  one  really  to  depend  upon,  and  though  he 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  I IQ 

fought  bravely,  and  commanded  well,  he  was  in 
great  danger  of  being  entirely  conquered. 

4.  During  this  time  Marius  and  Metellus  were 
learning  to  dislike  each  other  more  and  more.  Ma- 
rius found  fault  with  Metellus,  and  said  he  could 
command  better  himself,  and  Metellus  was  jealous 
of  Marius,  and  looked  down  upon  him.  Marius 
hearing  that  consuls  were  to  be  chosen  at  Rome, 
proposed  to  go  and  offer  himself  to  be  one;  but 
Metellus  openly  scorned  him,  thinking  it  absurd 
that  a man  of  low  birth  should  be  chief  ruler  over 
a people  like  the  Romans.  Marius  however  did  go, 
and  was  chosen;  and  the  first  thing  he  did  after- 
wards, was  to  have  Metellus  recalled  from  Africa. 
This  was  a great  trial  to  Metellus,  for  Marius  was  to 
have  the  command  instead  of  him.  But  he  could 
not  disobey  the  order,  and  he  went  back  to  Rome, 
when  he  was  in  some  measure  rewarded  for  his 
honorable  services,  by  a splendid  triumph,  and  by 
having  the  name  of  Numidicus  given  him.  Marius 
was  provoked  at  this,  but  he  had  other  things  to 
think  of  now,  besides  his  jealousy  of  Metellus,  and 
he  set  out  for  Africa,  having  as  one  of  his  chief 
officers,  Lucius  Cornelius  Sylla. 

5.  Sylla,  of  whom  we  shall  hear  a great  deal  by- 
and-by,  was  a man  of  noble  birth,  clever,  and  ac- 
complished. He  resembled  Marius  in  being  selfish 
and  ambitious,  but  as  he  was  a person  of  good  edu- 
cation, and  what  we  should  call  gentlemanlike 
habits  and  manners,  he  knew  how  to  conceal  his 
wishes  and  command  his  temper.  Still  he  was  just 
as  wicked,  perhaps  more  so  than  Marius,  and 
equally  determined  to  have  his  own  way,  whatever 
suffering  he  might  bring  upon  other  people. 

6.  When  Marius  landed  in  Africa,  he  and  Jugur- 


120 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


tha  began  the  war  in  a manner  which  showed  they 
were  determined  to  carry  it  on  resolutely.  Jugurtha 
was  assisted  by  his  father-in-law,  Bocchus,  king  of 
Mauritania,  but  he  could  not  stand  against  Marius, 
who  went  on  taking  one  place  after  another  until 
nearly  the  whole  of  Numidia  had  submitted  to  him. 
There  was  one  place,  however,  the  castle  of  Mulu- 
cha,  where  all  the  king’s  treasures  were  kept,  which 
it  seemed  almost  impossible  to  subdue;  it  was  built 
so  strongly  upon  the  top  of  a smooth  rock  that  no 
one  could  climb  up.  The  only  way  up  to  it  was  by 
a very  narrow  path  cut  in  the  rock,  in  which  two 
men  could  scarcely  walk  abreast.  Marius  tried 
again  and  again  in  different  ways  to  take  the  castle, 
but  never  could  succeed.  One  day  it  happened  that 
a soldier  who  was  filling  his  pitcher  at  a spring,  ob- 
served some  snails  crawling  up  the  rock  near.  He 
watched  them,  and  remarked  that  the  cracks  in  the 
rock  where  they  were  to  be  found  were  moister  than 
on  the  other  side.  He  put  his  feet  into  these  soft 
holes,  and  by  that  means  clambered  quite  up  to  the 
top  and  came  down  without  being  seen.  He  did 
this  twice  to  be  quite  sure  that  it  would  be  possible 
to  make  use  of  the  discovery,  and  then  he  went  and 
told  Marius.  Marius  collected  a party  of  brave 
men,  and  ordered  them  to  mount  the  rock  whilst 
another  party  pretended  to  attack  the  castle  on  the 
other  side.  This  was  done,  and  the  men  reached 
the  top  of  the  wall  safely,  and  then  sounded  a 
trumpet.  The  noise  frightened  the  people  in  the 
castle;  they  ran  to  the  place  from  whence  the  sound 
came,  and  left  the  direct  pathway  without  a guard, 
and  the  Romans  rushed  forward,  broke  down  the 
gate,  and  the  castle  was  taken. 

7.  Jugurtha  took  refuge  in  the  dominions  of  Boc- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


1 2 I 


chus,  when  he  found  that  the  Romans  were  gaining 
ground  so  fast.  There  was,  however,  no  safety  for 
him  there.  Bocchus  was  a selfish  man,  and  willing 
to  listen  to  any  plan  which  might  bring  him  wealth 
or  power.  He  lost  one  great  battle,  in  which  Sylla 
distinguished  himself  particularly,  and  then  he  began 
to  think  that  it  would  be  wise  to  make  peace  fhr 
himself.  He  delayed  however  for  some  time,  being 
doubtful  what  to  do,  for  Sylla,  who  was  sent  to  set- 
tle the  terms  of  peace,  declared  he  would  not  con- 
sent to  it,  unless  Jugurtha  was  delivered  up;  whilst 
Jugurtha,  at  the  very  same  time,  endeavored  to  per- 
suade Bocchus  to  seize  Sylla.  Bocchus  decided  at 
last  upon  siding  with  the  Romans,  and  after  hav- 
ing told  Jugurtha  that  if  he  would  meet  him  at  a 
certain  place,  Sylla  should  be  given  into  his  hands, 
he  treacherously  caused  him  to  be  surrounded  by 
the  Romans  and  made  a prisoner. 

8.  Marius  returned  to  Rome  as  a conqueror,  and 
was  honored  with  a splendid  triumph.  Great  treas- 
ures of  gold  and  silver  were  displayed  which  he  had 
taken  in  the  war,  and  the  people  gazed  upon  him, 
and  wondered  and  admired,  as  he  passed  in  his  char- 
iot through  the  streets;  but  the  most  glorious,  yet 
the  saddest  prize  of  ail,  was  the  unfortunate  king  of 
Numidia,  who  was  led  in  chains  before  his  con- 
queror, dressed  in  his  royal  robes,  and  accompanied 
by  his  two  sons.  When  the  triumph  was  over,  Ju- 
gurtha was  stripped  of  his  kingly  dress,  and  the 
ornaments  in  his  ears  were  snatched  from  him  so 
eagerly  that  his  flesh  was  torn  in  the  cruel  haste. 
He  was  then  thrust  into  the  dark,  cold  dungeon  of 
the  state  prison;  and  after  being  kept  for  several 
days  without  food,  he  died. 

9.  Jugurtha  had  murdered  Hiempsal  and  Adher- 


122 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


bal,  and  he  deserved  no  better  fate;  but  it  is  diffi- 
cult, if  not  impossible,  to  think  of  a king  ending  his 
life  in  such  a dreadful  manner,  without  feeling  pity 
for  him. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

INVASION  OF  THE  CIMBRI. 

MARIUS  DEFEATS  THEM,  B.  C.  101. 

B.  C.  ioi.  i l-  The  war  with  Jugurtha  was  no 
sooner  ended  than  Marius  was  called 
upon  to  show  his  skill  and  bravery  in  defending  his 
own  country.  We  have  seen  how  the  Romans  ex- 
tended their  dominions,  and  made  themselves  lords 
over  all  the  civilized  nations  near  them;  but  not- 
withstanding their  great  power,  they  were  them- 
selves in  danger  from  enemies  whom  they  scarcely 
knew,  and  whom,  if  they  had  known,  they  would 
probably  have  despised. 

2.  Many  years  before,  the  Gauls,  as  we  have 
heard,  had  invaded  Italy,  and  even  taken  possession 
of  Rome;  but  the  time  was  long  passed,  and  the  Ro- 
mans since  then  had  grown  bolder  and  more  power- 
ful. Some  of  the  Gauls  were  their  allies,  and  when- 
ever there  were  wars  and  insurrections  amongst 
them,  they  were  sure  to  be  quickly  subdued.  Prob- 
ably the  Romans  began  now  to  look  upon  them- 
selves as  the  masters  of  the  world.  But  their  no- 
tions of  the  world  were  very  unlike  ours.  They  did 
not  even  know  there  was  such  a continent  as 
America,  and  they  had  but  a very  indistinct  idea  of 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


123 


the  people  who  lived  in  the  north  of  Europe  and  in 
Asia.  The  inhabitants  of  these  last-named  coun- 
tries were  fierce  and  warlike  tribes,  who  cared  noth- 
ing for  the  arts  and  luxuries  upon  which  the  Ro- 
mans prided  themselves,  and  were  therefore  con- 
sidered barbarians;  yet  it  was  ordered  by  God  that 
these  barbarians  should  in  the  end  overthrow  the 
vast  Roman  Empire,  and  become  as  much  cele- 
brated themselves  for  elegance  and  refinement  as  the 
people  whom  they  conquered. 

3.  When  we  first  hear  of  these  tribes  it  seems  as 
if  they  were  all  alike  and  there  could  be  no  interest 
in  distinguishing  them  from  each  other.  But  this 
is  not  really  the  case.  The  difference  is  actually 
seen  and  felt  to  this  day  amongst  persons  whom  we 
meet  and  live  with,  and  it  is  especially  to  be  discov- 
ered in  language.  For  instance,  we  hear  constantly 
of  a Scotch  accent,  but  we  do  not  often  think  why, 
when  persons  speak  the  same  words,  they  should 
not  pronounce  them  alike.  It  does  not  enter  our 
heads  that  the  difference  arises  from  the  fact,  that 
hundreds  of  years  ago  England  and  Scotland  were 
overrun  by  different  tribes,  who,  when  they  talked, 
could  not  understand  each  other;  and  that  the  dif- 
ference has  come  down  from  father  to  son  till  it  has 
reached  us,  so  that,  althought  the  descendants  of  the 
tribes  who  settled  in  Scotland  speak  English,  they 
pronounce  it,  as  French  or  Italian  persons  might  do, 
with  a foreign  accent. 

4.  The  barbarians,  who  in  the  time  of  Marius  in- 
vaded Gaul  and  threatened  to  invade  Italy,  were  the 
Cimbri.  They  came,  it  is  said,  from  Asia  and  the 
eastern  parts  of  Europe,  and  appeared  in  Gaul  be- 
fore the  war  with  Jugurtha  was  ended.  The  Ro- 
mans sent  armies  to  aid  the  Gauls  in  defending 


124 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


themselves,  but  they  were  defeated;  and  when  they 
afterwards  drew  near  to  the  Alps  and  seemed  pre- 
pared to  cross  into  Italy,  the  Romans  grew  so 
alarmed  that  they  ordered  Marius,  who  had  been 
chosen  consul  five  times  since  he  first  offered  him- 
self, to  assist  in  repelling  them. 

5.  The  Cimbri  were  at  that  time  joined  by  an- 
other tribe,  the  Teutones;  but  only  the  Cimbri 
crossed  the  Alps.  Marius  defeated  the  Teutones 
first  in  Gaul,  and  then  he  brought  his  army  back  to 
Italy  to  attack  the  Cimbri.  The  Cimbri,  who  had 
not  heard  of  the  defeat  of  the  Teutones,  sent  ambas- 
sadors to  Marius,  asking  him  to  give  themselves 
and  their  allies  land  on  which  they  might  settle,  and 
-threatening  war  if  they  were  refused.  “ You  ask 
-land  for  your  allies,  the  Teutones,”-  answered 
Marius;  “I  have  given  them. some  already.  Their 
bodies  are  now  mouldering  in  the  fields,  and  their 
bones  are  serving  as  fences  for  vineyards.”.  After 
this  haughty  answer  both  armies  prepared  for  a bat- 
tle, which  was  fought  on  the  30th  of  June,  b.  c.  ioi. 
The  Cimbri  attacked  the  Romans  with  fury;  but  the 
heat  of  the  weather,  which  they  were  not  accustomed 
to,  made  them  faint  and  weak,  and  they  were  easily 
overcome.  They  had  also  tied  themselves  together 
with  cords,  thinking  they  should  support  each  other 
better  in  consequence;  but  this  only  gave  the  Ro- 
mans greater  power  over  them.  Thousands  of 
them  were  killed,  and  thousands  more  taken  prison- 
ers and  sold  for  slaves.  Nearly  the  whole  tribe, 
in  fact,  was  destroyed,  and  the  Romans  were  for 
the  time  freed  from  a great  calamity.  Marius  was 
now  a greater  person  than  ever.  He  was  allowed 
a splendid  triumph,  and  was  chosen  consul  for  the 
sixth  time. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


125 


6.  At  this  period  there  was,  what  is  called,  a serv- 
ile war,  that  is,  an  insurrection  of  slaves,  in  Sicily. 
These  slaves  were  in  a wretched  condition,  and  some 
of  them  being  set  free,  all  the  others  wished  to  be 
free  likewise.  They  rebelled  and  made  two  of  their 
number  kings,  and  kept  up  a war  for  four  years; 
but  they  were  subdued  at  last,  though  not  till  a 
million  of  them  had  perished.  It  is  said  that  one 
thousand  of  the  number  gave  themselves  up  to  the 
Roman  general,  who  was  sent  against  them,  on 
condition  that  their  lives  should  be  spared.  The 
promise  was  given,  and  yet  this  same  man  sent  them 
afterwards  to  Rome  to  fight  with  wild  beasts  in  the 
public  shows  and  entertainments.  The  poor  slaves 
killed  each  other  to  avoid  such  a shocking  fate. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  SOCIAL,  OR  MARSIC  WAR, 

BROKE  OUT  B.  C.  90. 

B.  C.  90.  !•  The  events  which  happened  in  Italy 

after  the  invasion  of  the  barbarians, 
brought  worse  consequences  than  any  foreign  wars. 
They  were  caused  by  disputes  between  the  citizens 
of  Rome  and  the  states  of  Italy,  who  were  subject  to 
Rome;  and  by  the  selfishness  and  ambition  of  par- 
ticular persons  who  thought  much  more  of  their 
own  interests  than  of  the  good  of  their  country. 
There  had  always  been  a distinction  between  the 
citizens  of  Rome  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  rest  of 


126 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


Italy.  The  citizens  of  Rome  had  particular  priv- 
ileges; amongst  other  things  they  were  allowed  to 
vote  for  the  consuls,  and  so  had  some  power  in 
the  government,  and  whenever  the  Roman  senate 
wished  to  show  favor  to  a city  which  they  had  con- 
quered, they  used  to  give  the  inhabitants  what  was 
called  the  franchise;  that  is,  the  same  advantages  as 
those  persons  possessed  who  were  Romans  by  birth. 
There  is  a reference  to  this  difference  between  the 
Roman  citizens  and  other  Roman  subjects  in  the 
New  Testament.  St.  Paul,  we  are  told,  being  about 
to  be  scourged,  informed  the  centurion  who  guarded 
him,  that  he  was  a Roman,  meaning  a Roman  citi- 
zen. The  centurion  was  then  afraid  to  punish  him, 
and  went  and  told  the  chief  captain,  saying,  “ Take 
heed  what  thou  doest,  for  this  man  is  a Roman.” 
The  chief  captain  immediately  inquired  of  St.  Paul 
whether  it  was  really  so,  and  said,  that  he  himself 
had  obtained  the  privilege  by  paying  a great  sum. 
St.  Paul  replied,  “ But  I was  free-born,”  or  born  a 
citizen;  and  he  was  in  consequence  saved  from 
punishment.  We  see  from  this  that  it  was  con- 
sidered a great  advantage  to  be  a Roman  citizen. 

2.  The  Italian  states  were  naturally  enough  very 
anxious  to  have  the  same  privileges  as  their  fellow- 
countrymen  at  Rome,  and  tried  many  times  to  force 
the  senate  to  give  them  what  they  considered  their 
right.  There  were  great  differences  of  opinion  in 
Rome  upon  this  subject.  Marius  was  in  favor  of 
the  franchise  being  given,  for  he  generally  sided 
with  any  party  who  were  against  the  senators;  but 
he  did  not  really  care  for  any  one  but  himself.  His 
hatred  of  Sylla  increased  every  year,  and  as  Sylla 
was  a friend  to  the  rich  and  great,  Marius  allied 
himself  with  the  lower  classes,  and  endeavored  to 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


127 


make  himself  popular  amongst  them.  At  one  time 
he  joined  himself  with  persons  whose  conduct  was 
so  disgraceful,  that  he  was  at  last  obliged  to  turn 
against  them,  and  even  fight  against  them.  If  he 
had  not  done  so  his  fellow-citizens  would  have 
turned  against  him.  There  was  one  honorable  per- 
son in  Rome,  who  openly  opposed  Marius — and  that 
was  Metellus,  the  general,  who  had  been  with  him 
in  Africa.  When  Marius  proposed  a law  which 
he  said  was  to  benefit  the  people,  but  which  Metellus 
saw  would  give  them  a great  deal  more  power  than 
was  good  and  right,  he  boldly  refused  to  vote  for  it; 
and  when  his  friends  told  him  that  evil  would  hap- 
pen to  him  if  he  did  not,  he  answered,  that  to  do 
well  when  no  danger  attended  it  was  common,  but 
to  do  well  in  the  midst  of  dangers  was  the  part  of  a 
truly  good  and  honest  man. 

3.  Marius  contrived  that  Metellus  should  go  into 
exile  as  a punishment  for  this  refusal;  but  he  was 
afterwards  recalled,  and  there  was  great  joy  at  his 
return,  for  every  one  respected  him.  All  the  chief 
persons  in  Rome  went  to  receive  him,  and  his  house 
was  crowded  with  persons  who  came  to  congratulate 
him.  Marius  did  not  stay  long  in  Rome  to  see  the 
triumph  of  Metellus;  he  left  Italy  about  this  period, 
and  travelled  into  Asia,  where  he  stayed  at  the  court 
of  Mithridates,  king  of  Pontus,  in  Asia  Minor,  who 
was  inclined  to  be  an  enemy  of  the  Romans.  Per- 
haps that  was  the  reason  which  induced  Marius  to 
go  there,  when  he  was  angry  with  his  fellow-coun- 
trymen; but  he  did  not  please  Mithridates,  who  was 
a proud,  imprudent,  and  bad  man.  Pie  was  too 
rough  in  his  manner,  and  too  plain  in  his  speech, 
and  offended  the  king  by  advising  him  either  to  try 
and  make  himself  more  powerful  than  the  Romans, 


128 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


or  else  quietly  to  submit  to  them.  Mithridates  said 
nothing  at  the  time  in  reply,  but  he  soon  afterwards 
dismissed  his  visitor  with  presents,  and  Marius  then 
went  back  to  Italy  and  lived  at  Rome  like  a private 
person;  but  he  had  no  friends,  for  his  roughness 
and  his  pride  together  made  every  one  dislike  him. 

4.  A few  years  after  this  the  question  about  giv- 
ing the  franchise  to  the  Italian  states  was  brought 
forward  again  very  eagerly.  There  was  a general 
discontent  throughout  the  whole  of  Italy,  and  the 
greater  number  of  the  states  united  themselves  to- 
gether with  the  resolution  to  fight  until  they  had 
gained  their  object,  or  else  to  raze  the  city  of  Rome 
to  the  ground,  and  form  a new  republic. 

5.  This  war  is  called  the  Social,  or  Marsic  war; 
the  Marsians,  inhabitants  of  one  of  the  small  but 
proud  states,  being  those  who  took  the  chief  part 
in  it.  It  first  broke  out  in  the  year  b.  c.  90,  and 
lasted  for  more  than  two  years.  Great  misery  was 
brought  upon  all  concerned  in  it,  for  no  less  than 
300,000  persons  are  said  to  have  been  killed  in  it, 
and  many  rich  and  prosperous  cities  were  ruined; 
but  in  the  end  the  Italian  states  gained  their  object. 
One  state  after  another  proposed  to  make  peace 
upon  condition  of  receiving  the  franchise,  and  the 
Romans,  being  anxious  to  bring  the  war  to  an  end, 
were  induced  to  consent. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


I29 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

CIVIL  WAR  BETWEEN  MARIUS  AND  SYLLA. 

MARIUS  OUTLAWED,  B.  C.  88. 

B.  C.  88.  !•  The  hatred  which  Marius  and  Sylla 

felt  for  each  other  broke  out  openly 
after  the  social  war  was  ended.  Marius  was  an  old 
man  now,  for  he  was  seventy  years  of  age;  but  his 
harsh,  envious  disposition  was  not  at  all  softened. 
He  thought  himself  forgotten,  because  great  re- 
spect was  paid  to  Sylla,  who  had  shown  much 
courage  and  wisdom  in  the  last  war;  and  he  was  re- 
solved to  take  the  first  opportunity  of  humbling 
him.  This  opportunity  soon  came.  A war  broke 
out  with  Mithridates,  king  of  Pontus,  who  had 
offended  the  Romans  by  interfering  in  some  affairs 
which  they  thought  he  had  no  right  to  meddle  with; 
and  also  by  offering  to  assist  the  Greeks  in  freeing 
themselves  from  the  power  of  the  Romans.  Sylla 
was  fixed  upon  as  the  general  to  conduct  the  war; 
but  at  the  time  the  appointment  was  made,  he  was 
engaged  in  subduing  one  of  the  Italian  states  which 
was  still  discontented  about  the  franchise;  and 
Marius  cunningly  contrived,  during  his  absence,  to 
have  a new  election,  and  to  be  chosen  himself  in- 
stead. This  was  acting  treacherously  and  unjustly, 
and  when  Sylla  heard  that  the  command  was  taken 
from  him  he  was  exceedingly  angry.  He  set  out 
at  once  for  Rome,  and  six  of  his  legions  or  regi- 
ments of  soldiers,  as  we  should  call  them,  followed 
him. 

2.  The  gates  of  the  city  were  shut;  but  he  soon 
broke  them  down  and  entered  with  his  army.  The 


130 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


inhabitants  were  much  frightened  at  his  approach, 
and  many  of  them  mounted  upon  the  roofs  of  their 
houses,  and  threw  down  showers  of  stones  upon 
him  and  his  soldiers;  but  Sylla  placed  himself  at  the 
head  of  his  troops,  and  taking  a torch  in  his  hand, 
threatened  to  set  fire  to  the  houses  if  they  did  not 
immediately  leave  off.  This  stopped  them,  and  they 
allowed  him  to  advance  as  far  as  the  forum. 

3.  In  the  meantime  Marius  had  left  the  city;  he 
could  not  oppose  such  an  army,  and  he  knew  that 
he  should  risk  his  life  if  he  were  to  stay.  Sylla 
caused  him  to  be  accused  as  a traitor  to  his  country, 
together  with  his  son,  and  many  of  his  friends  and 
followers;  and  offered  a great  reward  to  whoever 
would  seize  and  put  them  to  death.  Marius  was 
therefore  obliged  to  keep  himself  carefully  con- 
cealed, till  he  could  find  some  way  of  escape.  These 
events  took  place  in  the  year  b.  c.  88. 

4.  For  a short  time  Marius  remained  hidden  in  a 
house  near  Rome,  with  his  son  and  a few  followers; 
but  as  they  were  in  want  of  food,  his  son  left  him, 
after  a little  while,  to  go  in  search  of  some;  and  be- 
fore he  came  back,  Marius  began  to  be  so  much 
alarmed,  lest  he  should  be  discovered,  that  he  went 
away  from  his  hiding-place  with  his  friends,  and 
wandered  about  till  they  arrived  at  the  seacoast, 
where  they  found  two  small  vessels  ready  to  sail. 
As  a troop  of  horsemen  were  just  behind  them,  they 
jumped  into  the  sea  to  reach  the  ships,  and  in  this 
way  were  separated;  Marius  being  taken  up  by  one 
ship,  and  his  friends  by  the  other.  Young  Marius, 
in  the  meantime,  was  in  great  danger;  for  he  was 
very  nearly  discovered  by  some  of  Sylla’s  soldiers, 
and  was  only  saved  by  the  help  of  a slave,  who  was 
with  him,  and  who  put  him  into  a cart,  loaded  with 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  I 3 1 

beans,  and  covered  him  up,  and  then  drove  the  cart 
past  the  soldiers,  and  through  the  streets  of  Rome, 
till  young  Marius  reached  his  own  house,  where 
his  wife  concealed  him.  When  he  knew  that  his 
father  was  gone,  he  managed  to  get  on  board  a ship 
bound  for  Africa,  and  after  a calm  voyage  landed 
there  safely. 

5.  Marius  himself  was  not  as  fortunate  as  his  son. 
The  sea  was  very  stormy,  and  he  suffered  a great 
deal  from  fatigue  and  illness.  The  sailors  kept 
along  the  coast  of  Italy,  and  Marius  being  quite 
tired  out,  they  advised  him  to  land  and  rest  a little, 
till  the  wind  should  be  more  favorable.  He  accord- 
ingly took  their  advice,  and  laid  down  to  sleep;  but 
when  he  awoke  he  found  himself  alone.  The  vessel 
had  sailed,  and  he  was  left  to  his  fate.  He  was 
now  much  more  unhappy  than  before;  his  spirits  en- 
tirely failed,  and  he  roamed  about  among  swamps  and 
marshes,  till  he  met  with  an  old  man  who  took  com- 
passion upon  him,  and  carried  him  to  a hut,  where 
he  said  he  might  easily  hide  himself.  Marius  knew 
that  the  part  of  the  country  in  which  he  then  was 
belonged  to  one  of  his  greatest  enemies,  and  this 
made  him  the  more  anxious  not  to  be  discovered. 
He  hoped  to  have  been  safe  in  the  hut,  but  he  soon 
heard  the  voices  of  soldiers,  and  the  trampling  of 
horses  near  it,  and  then  he  left  the  hut,  and  plunged 
up  to  his  neck  in  a muddy  swamp,  where  he  was  at 
length  found.  The  soldiers  dragged  him  out,  by 
tying  a cord  round  his  neck,  and  led  him  to  the  town 
of  Minturnae  to  be  executed.  The  magistrates 
threw  him  into  prison,  and  a slave  was  sent  to  kill 
him.  It  was  then  nearly  dark,  but  the  flaming 
eyes  of  the  gaunt,  fierce  old  man,  seemed  to  glare 
upon  the  slave  as  he  entered  the  cell  where  he  was 


132 


HISTORY  OF  ROHE. 


confined.  With  a terrible  voice,  Marius  exclaimed, 
“ Darest  thou  kill  Caius  Marius?”  The  slave 
dropped  his  sword  in  the  greatest  fear,  and  rushed 
away,  saying,  “ I cannot  kill  Caius  Marius.” 

6.  The  magistrates  now  began#  to  repent  of  what 
they  were  going  to  do,  for  they  remembered  many 
things  by  which  Marius  had  been  of  use  to  his  coun- 
try, and  instead  of  doing  him  any  harm,  they  took 
care  of  him  and  assisted  him,  and  in  the  end  put 
him  on  board  a vessel  which  was  about  to  sail  for 
Africa.  He  landed  near  Carthage,  in  the  bay:  the 
once  beautiful  city  lay  before  him  in  ruins.  Marius 
seated  himself  upon  a broken  column,  and  we  may 
well  believe  that  most  sad  thoughts  passed  through 
his  mind;  for  the  desolate  city  was  the  image  of  his 
own  fate.  Like  him  it  had  fallen,  never,  as  it 
seemed  to  rise  again.  Marius  was  a wicked  man, 
and  had  nothing  to  cheer  him  when  he  looked  back 
upon  his  evil  life;  but  even  if  he  had  been  good, 
he  must  still  then  have  been  wretched,  for  he  had 
little  hope  left  in  this  world,  and  had  never  been 
taught  to  look  for  happiness  in  another. 

7.  Whilst  resting  among  the  ruins,  a messenger 
arrived  from  the  governor  of  the  province  to  warn 
him  that  it  was  against  the  laws  of  the  Roman  sen- 
ate for  him  to  remain  there.  Marius  looked  at  the 
man  sternly,  and  replied,  “ Go,  tell  your  master  that 
you  have  seen  the  exiled  Marius  sitting  amongst  the 
ruins  of  Carthage.”  The  governor  was  probably 
touched  with  pity  by  the  comparison  which  Marius 
thus  made  between  his  own  misfortunes  and  the 
ruins  of  the  great  city,  and  he  was  suffered  to  re- 
main there  a little  longer.  His  son,  who  had  all 
this  time  been  kept  as  a sort  of  prisoner  by  the  king 
of  Numidia,  managed  to  escape  and  join  him,  and 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


1 33 


soon  afterwards  both  of  them,  thinking  it  safer  to 
leave  Africa,  fled  to  a little  island  near  the  coast, 
where  they  remained,  waiting  from  day  to  day  in  the 
hope  of  hearing  news  which  might  give  them  a 
prospect  of  returning  to  Rome. 

8.  In  the  meanwhile  there  had  been  great 
changes  at  Rome,  and  new  persons  had  started  up 
to  create  disturbances.  Sylla  had  departed  to  make 
war  against  Mithridates,  in  Greece,  but  he  was 
scarcely  gone  before  disputes  arose  between  the  two 
consuls,  who  were  left  to  govern  the  state;  and  one 
of  them, — Cinna,  whom  Sylla  thought  was  his  friend, 
— declared  war  against  the  other,  and  sent  for  Marius 
to  join  him.  Marius  was  of  course  most  willing  to 
do  so.  He  collected  together  about  five  thousand 
desperate  men,  and  united  himself  with  Cinna’s 
army,  and  then  all  marched  to  Rome.  One  really  : 
good,  honorable  man  joined  them — Sertorius,  who 
had  fought  in  the  wars  in  Spain  and  against  the 
Cimbri,  and  was  much  respected  for  his  courage 
and  high  principles.  He  was  not  a friend  to  Marius, 
but  supported  him  because  he  disapproved  of  the 
conduct  of  the  senators,  and  of  the  persons  who 
were  then  chief  in  Rome.  The  city  was  well  de- 
fended, but  the  inhabitants  began  at  last  to  suffer 
from  famine,  and  the  senators  sent  to  Marius  and 
Cinna  to  propose  peace. 

g.  Whilst  Cinna  and  the  ambassadors  were  set- 
tling the  terms,  Marius  stood  by  without  speaking, 
dressed  in  very  old  clothes,  with  his  hair  and  beard 
long  and  rough,  and  looking  dreadfully  stern  and 
ferocious;  and  when  the  agreement  for  peace  was 
made,  and  the  whole  army  set  out  for  the  city, 
Marius  stopped  at  the  gate.  They  begged  him  to 
go  forward,  but  he  said  scornfully,  that  he  was-.- a 
io 


134 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


banished  man,  and  the  law  against  him  must  be 
done  away  with  before  he  could  enter.  His  im- 
patience, however,  would  not  suffer  him  really  to 
wait;  and  shortly  afterwards  he  rushed  in,  followed 
by  his  savage  guards.  Orders  were  given  to  these 
wretches  to  kill  every  person  whose  greeting  Marius 
did  not  return.  A most  shocking  massacre  took 
place  in  consequence.  Numbers  of  persons  came 
up  to  speak  to  Marius,  and  were  killed  before  his 
eyes.  The  consul,  who  had  opposed  Cinna,  was 
murdered  as  he  sat  in  his  ivory  chair  of  office,  named 
a curule  chair,  where,  on  other  occasions,  he  would 
have  been  supposed  quite  safe  from  harm.  Marius 
seemed  determined  not  to  spare  any  one,  and  the 
cruelty  and  wickedness  of  his  guards  exceeded  all 
belief,  and  at  last  came  to  such  a pitch,  that  Ser- 
torius  and  Cinna  could  endure  it  no  longer.  They 
agreed  together  to  destroy  them;  and  one  night, 
when  the  guards  were  all  asleep,  they  sent  a body  of 
soldiers,  who  killed  them  every  one. 

io.  Sylla  was  not  forgotten  in  the  dreadful  re- 
venge of  Marius.  His  house  was  seized  and  his 
property  taken  away,  and  he  was  declared  an  enemy 
to  his  country.  Cinna  was  now  restored  to  the 
consulship,  and  Marius  was  appointed  to  be  consul 
also  for  the  seventh  time.  He  had  always  believed 
that  this  would  be  the  case,  because  of  an  omen 
which  had  happened  when  he  was  a little  child. 
An  eagle  with  seven  young  ones  fell  into  his  lap, 
and  this  was  supposed  to  mean  that  he  should  be 
the  chief  person  in  the  state  seven  times;  but  no 
worldly  honors  could  bring  happiness  to  a man  bur- 
dened with  so  many  crimes,  and  knowing  that  ene- 
mies surounded  him  on  all  sides.  Letters  arrived 
from  Sylla,  giving  a list  of  his  victories,  and  ending 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


13  5 


with  these  words: — “For  these  and  other  services, 
conscript  fathers,  you  have  rewarded  me  by  setting 
a price  upon  my  head;  my  wife  and  children  are 
forced  to  abandon  their  country. — my  house  is 
razed, — my  property  is  taken  away.  You  may  ex- 
pect to  see  me  shortly  at  the  gates  of  Rome,  with 
my  victorious  armies,  to  take  vengeance  for  the  in- 
juries I have  received.” 

11.  These  letters  were  like  the  prophecy  of  death 
to  Marius.  He  knew  that  his  life  would  be  the  first 
sacrificed  if  Sylla  were  to  return,  and  horrible 
fancies  troubled  him.  Voices  seemed  to  sound  in 
his  ears,  as  he  lay  awake  upon  his  bed  at  night,  tell- 
ing him  that  the  den  even  of  an  absent  lion  ought  to 
be  dreaded.  In  his  anguish  he  tried  to  distract  his 
thoughts  by  excessive  drinking,  and  a dreadful  dis- 
ease followed  in  consequence. 

12.  Seventeen  days  after  having  been  chosen  con- 
sul the  seventh  time,  Marius  died  a madman. 

13.  There  is  no  need  to  remark  upon  his  fate. 
Even  in  this  world,  and  amongst  a nation  of  hea- 
thens, the  judgments  of  God  are  clearly  to  be  seen. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

SYLLA, 

APPOINTED  PERPETUAL  DICTATOR,  B.  C.  82. 

B.  C.  82.  I-  When  Marius  was  dead,  Cinna  was 
the  master  of  Italy,  but  he  was  as  much 
afraid  of  Sylla’s  power  as  Marius  had  been;  for 


I36 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


he  knew  that  if  Sylla  were  to  return  with  his  army, 
all  those  who  had  supported  Marius  would  be 
severely  punished.  He  persuaded  the  senate  to  ap- 
point another  general  to  command  the  armies  in 
Asia,  instead  of  Sylla;  but  this  only  brought  on  the 
evil  of  which  he  was  afraid.  Sylla  had  been  success- 
ful in  all  his  efforts  against  Mithridates,  and  had 
compelled  him  to  make  peace;  and  many  provinces 
in  Asia  were  now  entirely  subject  to  the  Romans, 
in  consequence  of  his  skill  and  courage;  he  was 
determined,  therefore,  not  to  yield  his  command  to 
any  one,  and  instead  of  submitting  to  Fimbria,  the 
new  general,  he  brought  an  army  against  him. 
There  was  no  cause,  however,  for  a battle.  The 
Romans  were  fond  of  Sylla,  and  proud  of  serving 
under  him,  and  Fimbria’s  soldiers  left  him  of  their 
own  accord,  and  went  over  to  Sylla.  Thus  the  very 
means  which  were  used  to  destroy  his  power  only 
made  it  greater,  and  he  now  had  nothing  else  to  do, 
but  to  settle  all  his  affairs  in  Asia,  and  return  to 
Italy  to  take  vengeance  upon  his  enemies. 

2.  All  this  time  Sylla  had  appeared  to  be  more 
careful  of  the  interests  of  his  country  than  of  his 
own.  He  was  cruel,  indeed,  to  the  states  which  re- 
belled against  the  Roman  power,  and  made  the 
people  pay  enormous  sums  of  money;  but  still  these 
persons  were  the  enemies  of  Rome,  and  he  might 
have  excused  himself  by  saying  that  it  was  his  duty 
to  punish  them.  But  now  we  shall  see  him  in  his 
true  character, — selfish  and  bloodthirsty  as  Marius, 
though  more  polite  and  refined  in  his  manners. 

3.  Before  Sylla  arrived  in  Italy,  one  of  his  chief 
enemies  was  taken  out  of  his  way.  Cinna  was  mur- 
dered by  his  own  soldiers,  but  young  Marius  was 
left  with  several  others,  and  their  armies  were  very 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


137 


much  larger  than  his  own;  so  much  so,  indeed,  that 
Sylla  might  have  had  reason  to  be  afraid,  if  his  sol- 
diers had  not  been  so  well  trained  and  so  much  at- 
tached to  him.  One  person,  however,  joined  him, 
who  was  a great  help  to  him, — Cneius  Pompey, 
afterwards  called  Pompey  the  Great.  He  was  then 
only  twenty-three  years  of  age,  but  had  already  dis- 
tinguished himself  very  much  in  defending  Rome 
against  Marius. 

4.  Pompey  had  great  difficulty  in  joining  Sylla; 
many  efforts  were  made  to  stop  him;  and  Sylla  was 
so  delighted  with  his  assistance,  and  with  the  ac- 
count of  his  exploits,  that  he  gave  him  the  title  of 
“ imperator,”  which  had  never  before  been  granted 
to  such  a young  person.  As  Sylla  drew  near  to 
Italy  great  preparations  were  made  against  him, 
but  the  person  who  could  best  have  opposed  him 
was  absent.  This  was  Sertorius,  who  was  then  in 
Spain.  Young  Marius  and  his  friends  were  not 
clever  enough  to  withstand  a man  like  Sylla;  and 
their  whole  party  had  made  themselves  hated  by 
their  cruelty,  so  that  numbers  of  persons  joined 
Sylla,  hoping  that  if  he  were  to  conquer,  the  coun- 
try would  be  in  a better  state. 

5.  Nearly  two  years  passed  from  the  time  that 
Sylla  first  disobeyed  the  orders  of  the  senate,  by  re- 
fusing to  give  up  his  command,  till  he  appeared  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Rome.  He  was  obliged  to 
travel  a great  distance,  and  his  enemies  constantly 
endeavored  to  stop  his  march;  but  he  was  always 
victorious  and  advanced  onwards,  gaining  strength 
every  day. 

6.  The  party  of  Marius  seemed  to  increase  in 
cruelty  as  the  danger  became  greater.  They  or- 
dered that  all  the  persons  in  Rome  who  were  sup- 


138 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


posed  to  favor  Sylla  should  be  killed,  and  numbers 
of  the  highest  rank  were  murdered  in  consequence. 
This  made  Sylla  the  more  anxious  to  take  the  chief 
power  into  his  hands,  and  he  hastened  on  till 
he  came  quite  close  to  the  city.  Here  he  met  with 
great  resistance  from  a Samnite  army  which  was 
friendly  to  the  Marian  party.  They  fought  against 
him  in  the  most  brave  manner;  but  Sylla  was  suc- 
cessful as  usual,  though  his  troops  were  nearly  worn 
out  with  fatigue. 

7.  The  general  of  the  Samnites  killed  himself  in 
despair  when  he  saw  that  the  battle  was  lost,  and 
his  soldiers  fled.  Sylla  took  eight  thousand  prison- 
ers, and  as  soon  as  he  had  obtained  possession  of 
the  city,  ordered  them  to  be  shut  up  in  prison.  He 
then  summoned  a meeting  of  the  senators,  and  when 
they  were  assembled,  addressed  them  in  a long 
speech.  All  listened  attentively,  but  their  attention 
was  soon  drawn  aside  by  fearful  sounds  which  arose 
near  them.  Cries  and  groans  of  agony  told  that 
some  dreadful  deed  was  being  performed.  Sylla 
alone  was  quiet  and  unconcerned.  “ Attend,”  he 
exclaimed,  speaking  to  the  senators,  “ to  what  I am 
saying,  and  give  yourselves  no  trouble  about  what 
is  going  on  elsewhere.  I have  only  ordered  some 
offenders  to  be  chastised.”  The  eight  thousand 
Samnites  were  at  that  very  moment  being  mur- 
dered in  cold  blood! 

8.  This  was  only  the  beginning  of  his  cruelty, 
and  he  did  not  attempt  to  conceal  it.  “ I will  not 
spare  one,”  he  said,  “ who  has  borne  arms  against 
me;  all  shall  perish.”  He  kept  his  threat  most  ex- 
actly. Every  day  fresh  offenders  were  doomed  to 
death.  Some  of  them  were  really  his  enemies, 
others  were  only  called  guilty  because  they  had  en- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


139 


deavored  to  save  the  lives  of  the  friends  they  loved. 
Catiline,  a man  of  infamous  character,  assisted 
Sylla.  He  had  some  time  before  killed  his  brother, 
and  now  he  begged  that  the  deed  might  be  made 
lawful,  by  his  brother’s  name  being  placed  in  the  list 
of  those  who  were  sentenced  by  Sylla  himself. 

9.  The  anxiety  which  these  dreadful  cruelties 
caused,  at  length  became  quite  intolerable;  and  a 
young  man,  Cains  Metellus,  dared  one  day  to  stand 
up  in  the  senate  and  inquire  when  Sylla  meant  to  put 
a stop  to  them.  “ We  do  not,”  he  said,  “ intercede 
for  such  as  you  have  resolved  to  destroy;  but  only 
ask  you  to  free  those  from  uneasiness  who  may  be 
allowed  to  live.”  Sylla  replied  that  he  did  not  know 
yet  whom  he  should  save.  “ Then,”  continued  Me- 
tellus, “ publish  a list  of  those  who  are  to  die.” 
The  request  was  complied  with  immediately. 
Eighty  persons,  most  of  them  of  high  rank,  were 
put  into  the  list;  or  as  it  is  called,  proscribed.  The 
next  day  220  were  added  to  the  number — the  day 
after  220  more;  and  after  9000  persons  had  been 
murdered,  Sylla  assembled  the  people,  and  told 
them  that  he  had  proscribed  as  many  as  he  could 
think  of,  and  as  for  those  he  had  forgotten,  they 
should  be  proscribed  too  as  soon  as  he  could  call 
them  to  his  memory. 

10.  To  increase  the  misery  which  these  horrible 
calamities  caused,  Sylla  took  possession  of  the 
property  of  the  unhappy  people  whom  he  killed, 
and  passed  a law,  which  long  continued  in  force, 
that  none  of  the  descendants  of  the  proscribed 
should  hold  any  office  in  the  state. 

11.  It  seems  marvelous  that  one  man  should  thus 
have  tyrannized  over  a whole  city,  yet  so  it  was; 
and  Sylla  not  only  compelled  the  Romans  to  sub- 


140 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


mit  to  his  cruelty,  but  forced  them  to  make  him  per- 
petual dictator,  in  order  that  he  might  reform  the 
laws  and  government.  This  was  one  of  the  few 
duties  which  he  seemed  inclined  to  perform  rightly. 
The  laws  made  by  his  order  were  many  of  them  wise 
and  useful. 

12.  Sylla  was  appointed  dictator  in  the  year  b.  c. 
82,  and  held  the  office  for  three  years  Then  sud- 
denly he  determined  to  give  it  up.  He  told  the 
people  of  his  resolution  when  he  had  assembled 
them  at  a great  meeting,  and  at  the  same  time  he 
offered  to  give  an  account  of  all  that  he  had  done; 
but  no  one  dared  ask  him  to  do  so.  He  was  al- 
lowed to  leave  the  place  of  assembly  free  and  with- 
out complaint;  and  from  that  period  he  retired  to  a 
beautiful  country-house  where  he  spent  his  days  in 
luxury,  and  employed  himself  in  writing  the  history 
of  his  own  life  in  Greek.  But  the  vengeance  of  God 
overtook  him,  though  he  was  saved  from  the  venge- 
ance of  his  fellow-creatures.  He  was  attacked  by 
a loathesome  disease,  and  vermin  swarmed  over  his 
body.  It  was  a complaint  for  which  there  was  no 
cure,  and  which  must  have  rendered  him  an  object 
of  intolerable  disgust  to  every  one  who  approached 
him.  Yet  even  in  this  dreadful  condition  Sylla’s 
ferocious  temper  showed  itself.  He  was  informed 
that  a man  refused  to  settle  some  accounts,  hoping 
that  Sylla  would  soon  die,  and  that  he  should  then 
not  be  obliged  to  do  so.  Sylla  sent  for  him,  and 
ordered  his  slaves  to  strangle  him  in  his  presence. 
The  death  of  this  man  brought  on  his  own — the 
straining  of  his  voice  in  his  extreme  anger  caused 
some  internal  injury,  and  he  died  that  same  night  in 
agony. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


I4I 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

SERTORIUS, 

MURDERED  B.  C.  72. 

B.  C.  72.  i.  We  must  now  go  back  to  what  hap- 
pened at  Rome  after  Sylla  gave  up  the 

dictatorship. 

2.  There  were  then  two  parties  in  the  state, 
headed  by  the  two  consuls,  Lepidus  and  Catulus. 
Lepidus  desired  to  undo  every  thing  which  Sylla 
had  done,  and  to  call  back  the  persons  whom  he  had 
exiled;  whilst  Catulus  desired  to  keep  all  in  the 
same  condition  in  which  Sylla  had  left  it.  Pompey, 
afterwards  called  the  Great,  took  the  part  of  Catulus; 
and  as  he  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  persons 
in  Rome,  whichever  side  he  supported  was  the  most 
likely  to  be  uppermost.  Pompey  was  not  a cruel 
man  like  Marius  and  Sylla,  at  times  he  showed  very 
high  qualities;  but  he  was  not  thoroughly  sincere — 
his  friends  could  not  always  trust  to  his  word,  and 
his  ambition  caused  him  to  do  many  wrong  things. 

3.  Open  war  broke  out  after  a little  while  be- 
tween the  two  consuls;  but  Catulus,  being  assisted 
by  Pompey,  was  victorious,  and  Lepidus  was 
obliged  to  flee  to  Sardinia,  where  he  soon  after  died. 
There  was,  however,  no  hope  of  peace  even  then, 
for  a war  was  going  on  in  Spain,  against  Sertorius, 
who  had  never  yielded  to  Sylla.  Sertorius  was  much 
liked  by  the  Spaniards,  who  trusted  and  respected 
him.  His  wish  was  to  make  the  Romans  and 
Spaniards  one  people;  and  he  appointed  senators, 
as  there  were  at  Rome,  half  of  whom  were  Spaniards 
and  half  Romans;  he  also  established  a school 


I42 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


where  the  young  men  were  to  be  educated,  and  in 
fact  did  every  thing  in  his  power  to  improve  the 
people.  The  Spaniards  thought  he  was  particular- 
ly blessed  by  the  gods,  because  he  was  always  ac- 
companied by  a white  fawn,  which  thej'  supposed  was 
sent  him  from  heaven  as  a sign  of  divine  approba- 
tion. This  strong  feeling  in  his  favor  made  Ser- 
torious  very  powerful,  and  he  was  able  to  defend 
himself  for  a long  time  against  all  who  were  sent 
to  Spain  to  oppose  him.  It  was  not  because  he 
favored  Marius  himself,  that  he  did  not  yield  to 
Sylla,  but  because  he  considered  Sylla  a tyrant  who 
would  only  oppress  the  people,  and  that  the  party 
of  Marius  cared  more  for  the  true  good  of  their 
country. 

4.  Pompey’s  great  ambition  was  to  conquer  Ser- 
torius,  and  when  Lepidus  was  defeated  he  deter- 
mined to  go  himself  with  an  army  into  Spain.  It 
was  very  difficult  to  carry  on  a war  in  that  mountain- 
ous country,  especially  against  a person  like  Serto- 
rius,  who  knew  exactly  where  to  go,  and  how  to 
place  his  men  in  the  best  position;  and,  as  Pompey 
knew  this,  he  set  a price  upon  his  head;  that  is,  he 
offered  a sum  of  money  to  any  person  who  would 
kill  him.  Sertorius  would  have  submitted  on  one 
condition — that  of  being  allowed  to  go  back  to 
Rome,  for  he  had  a mother  living  there  whom  he 
loved  more  than  any  one  else  in  the  world,  and 
whom  he  longed  to  see  again;  but  a short  time  after 
he  made  this  proposal  to  the  senate  his  mother  died, 
and  then  he  had  no  reason  for  not  continuing  the 
war  as  before.  It  is  said  that  when  he  heard  of  his 
mother’s  death  he  himself  almost  died  of  grief,  and 
lay  seven  days  on  the  ground  without  taking  an  in- 
terest in  any  thing  which  was  going  on.  His- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


143 


friends,  however,  persuaded  him  to  rouse  himself 
again,  and  by  degrees  he  began  to  be  more  cheerful 
and  hopeful,  especially  as  he  had  a hope  of  assist- 
ance from  Mithridates,  king  of  Pontus. 

5.  Mithridates,  we  know,  had  always  been  an 
enemy  to  the  Romans.  Whilst  Sylla  was  dictator, 
he  had  begun  a second  war  against  them,  which, 
however,  did  not.  last  very  long;  but  now  he 
thought,  that  if  he  could  have  the  assistance  of  Ser- 
torius,  he  really  might  take  his  revenge  for  all  the 
injuries  he  had  received.  Sertorius  agreed  to  be  his 
ally,  upon  condition  that  Mithridates  would  not  at- 
tempt to  conquer  any  part  of  the  Roman  dominions 
in  Asia,  but  only  to  retake  that  which  was  his  own; 
and,  this  being  agreed  upon,  Mithridates  carried 
on  a war  against  the  Romans  in  Asia,  whilst  Serto- 
rius fought  in  Spain,  and  formed  a plan  for  invad- 
ing Italy.  Most  unhappily,  about  two  years  after- 
wards, Sertorius  began  to  suspect  that  the  Spaniards 
were  not  as  faithful  to  him  as  they  had  been,  and 
that  they  intended  to  go  over  to  his  enemies;  and 
this  induced  him  to  commit  a most  cruel  action, 
which  must  always  be  a blot  upon  his  memory.  He 
ordered  all  the  young  men  who  were  educated  in  his 
college  to  be  put  to  death.  Perhaps  he  excused 
himself  by  saying  that  their  friends  were  traitors; 
but  nothing  can  really  excuse  him.  He  lost  the 
confidence  of  the  Spaniards  from  that  time,  and 
even  the  Romans  became  less  attached  to  him;  and 
not  long  afterwards,  Perperna,  one  of  his  generals, 
who  was  jealous  of  his  fame,  formed  a plot  against 
him,  and  having  invited  him  to  a banquet,  treacher- 
ously fell  upon  him  whilst  he  was  sitting  at  table, 
and  murdered  him  in  the  year  b.  c.  72. 

6.  The  Spaniards  and  the  Romans  who  sided 


144 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


with  Sertorius,  lost  every  thing  when  he  died;  for 
Perperna.  who  took  command  of  the  army  after 
him,  was  a base  and  cowardly,  as  well  as  a cruel 
man,  and  only  cared  for  his  own  safety.  He  was 
defeated  by  Pompey,  and  taken  prisoner,  and  when 
he  thought  that  he  should  be  sentenced  to  die,  he 
offered  to  give  Pompey  all  the  letters  he  had  found 
belonging  to  Sertorius,  on  condition  of  his  life  be- 
ing spared.  These  letters  would  have  been  of  great 
consequence  to  Pompey,  as  they  would  have  shown 
him  who,  amongst  the  chief  of  his  fellow-citizens  at 
Rome,  were  the  friends  of  Sertorius;  but  he  was  far 
too  high-minded  to  take  advantage  of  such  mean- 
ness, and  burnt  the  letters  without  looking  at  them, 
and  ordered  Perperna  instantly  to  be  executed. 

7.  The  war  in  Spain  was  then  ended. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

SERVILE  WAR  UNDER  SPARTACUS, 

ENDED  BY  CRASSUS  AND. POMPEY,  B.  C.  71. 

B.  C.  71.  I-  After  conquering  Sertorius  and 
Perperna,  Pompey  was  called  upon  to 
subdue  a very  different  enemy,  an  army  of  rebel- 
lious gladiators  and  slaves. 

2.  Gladiators,  as  we  have  heard  before,  were  per- 
sons forced  to  fight  with  each  other,  as  a public 
show  to  amuse  the  people.  They  were  generally 
prisoners  taken  in  war,  and  bought  by  masters  who 
trained  them  in  schools,  and  then  made  them  exhibit 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


145 


at  the  public  games.  These  amusements  were  cruel 
and  disgraceful,  and  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  the 
great  wickedness  of  the  Romans.  They  became 
hard-hearted  in  consequence,  and  found  delight  in 
the  sufferings  of  their  fellow-creatures.  When  a 
gladiator  was  vanquished,  he  raised  his  finger  to  ask 
for  pity,  and  if  the  spectators  approved  of  his 
bravery,  they  turned  down  their  thumbs  and  he  was 
spared;  but  if  they  turned  them  up,  the  unfortunate 
man  was  killed.  Sometimes  the  gladiators  were 
bound  by  an  oath  to  their  master  to  fight  till  they 
died.  They  were  rewarded  by  a crown  of  palm 
leaves,  or  by  money;  and  now  and  then  they  were 
allowed  not  to  fight  any  more. 

3.  The  insurrection  which  Pompey  was  obliged 
to  subdue  began  at  Capua,  where  there  was  a school 
of  these  gladiators,  who  were  kept  very  strictly. 
Seventy  of  them  escaped  from  their  masters,  put 
themselves  under  the  command  of  one  of  their  com- 
panions, named  Spartacus,  a very  clever,  brave  man, 
and  established  themselves  upon  a high  mountain, 
where  they  were  well  able  to  defend  themselves. 
They  then  invited  as  many  other  gladiators  and 
slaves  to  join  them  as  chose  to  do  so,  and  in  a short 
time  they  had  collected  a really  large  army,  as  many 
as  ten  thousand  in  number.  When  the  insurrection 
had  increased  to  such  a great  pitch,  the  Roman  sen- 
ate began  to  be  alarmed.  The  consuls  were  sent 
against  them,  but  they  were  defeated;  and  Spartacus 
and  his  slaves  marched  through  the  country,  their 
numbers  increasing  as  they  went  on,  plundering 
and  destroying,  and  taking  revenge  for  the  cruelties 
which  had  been  shown  them,  till  they  came  to  the 
foot  of  the  Alps.  The  senators  then  fixed  upon 
another  general  to  oppose  them — Crassus,  who  had 


14^  HISTORY  OF  ROME. 

b.een  one  of  Sylla’s  favorite  officers.  Crassus  was  a 
man  more  famous  for  his  immense  riches  than  for 
being  particularly  clever  or  having  much  energy; 
Spartacus  on  the  contrary  had  great  talent  and 
spirit;  and  the  senate  knew  this,  and  resolved,  as  the 
war  in  Spain  was  at  that  time  ended,  to  give  the 
command  of  their  armies,  as  soon  as  they  possibly 
could,  to  Pompey. 

4.  Before,  however,  they  could  do  so,  Crassus 
had  gained  a great  victory  over  the  gladiators. 
Spartacus  had  a foreboding  before  this  battle  began 
that  he  should  lose  it;  and  he  ordered  his  favorite 
horse  to  be  brought  to  him,  and  slew  it,  saying,  “ If 
I should  win  this  day,  I shall  have  a great  many 
better  horses;  if  I lose  it,  I shall  have  no  need  of  it.” 
The  battle  lasted  long.  Spartacus  was  wounded  in 
the  leg,  yet  still  he  fought  on  his  knees,  holding  his 
sword  . and  buckler.  At  last  he  fell  lifeless  upon  the 
bodies  of  those  whom  he  had  slain.  Forty  thou- 
sand of  his  men  were  killed  on  the  spot.  The  rest 
fled,  but  before  they  could  reach  a place  of  safety 
they  were  met  by  Pompey,  who  was  coming  to  take 
the  command  from  Crassus.  He  cut  them  all  to 
pieces,  and  afterwards  sent  this  boasting  message 
to  the  senate: Crassus  has  overcome  the  gladia- 
tors in  a pitched  battle,  but  I have  plucked  up  the 
war  by  the  roots.”  This  battle  was  fought  in  the 
year  b.  c.  71. 

5.  Crassus  was  very  nearly  becoming  the  enemy 
of  Pompey  for  life  in  consequence  of  this  boast;  but 
he  was  pacified  by  Pompey’s  begging  that  he  might 
be  made  consul.  Still  they  were  not  heartily  friends, 
and  each  tried  to  gain  the  love  and  admiration  of  the 
people  for  himself.  Pompey  endeavored  to  win 
their  favor  by  giving  them  power;  and  Crassus,  who 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


147 


was  immensely  rich,  by  feasting  them.  It  is  said 
that  he  entertained  them  in  public  at  ten  thousand 
tables,  and  distributed  corn  enough  amongst  the 
poor  to  maintain  their  families  for  months.  Pompey, 
however,  had  much  the  better  chance  of  the  two,  for 
being  famed  as  a general,  he  soon  had  another  op- 
portunity of  becoming  famous  in  a war  against  the 
pirates  who  infested  the  Mediterranean  Sea. 

6.  These  pirates  were  not  common  sea-robbers, 
as  their  name  seems  to  mean;  many  of  them  were 
persons  who  had  once  been  well  off,  but  who  had 
been  ruined  from  different  causes.  Having  lost 
every  thing,  they  lived  by  plunder,  and  as  their 
numbers  increased  they  became  so  powerful  that 
even  kings  asked  for  their  assistance  in  their  wars. 
They  had  at  one  time  a thousand  galleys  or  light 
vessels  in  their  service,  and  in  these  they  sailed  about 
the  coast,  landing  wherever  they  wished,  and  taking 
whatever  they  chose.  Sometimes  they  carried  off 
prisoners;  and  if  any  of  them  happened  to  be  Ro- 
mans, they  would  pretend  to  treat  them  very  respect- 
fully, and  then,  leading  them  to  the  side  of  the  ves- 
sels, would  push  them  overboard,  saying,  they  would 
not  byany  means  keep  a freeborn  Roman  a prisoner. 

7.  But  what  was  almost  worse  than  any  thing, 
these  pirates  robbed  the  vessels  in  which  provisions 
were  carried  backwards  and  forwards;  and  as  the 
Romans  had  their  corn  from  Sicily,  they  were  in 
danger  of  famine  in  consequence.  It  was  the  fear  of 
this  which  made  them  determine  at  last  to  set  them- 
selves in  earnest  to  conquer  the  pirates;  and  Pom- 
pey, being  the  first  general  in  the  state,  was  appoint- 
ed to  the  command.  We  must  remember  that  in 
former  times,  the  same  persons  constantly  com- 
manded both  by  land  and  sea. 


I4S 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


8.  It  is  generally  agreed,  that  Pompey’s  conduct 
on  this  occasion  is  very  deserving  of  praise.  He  had 
enormous  power  given  him,  for  he  was  permitted  to 
rule  over  all  the  coasts  of  the  Mediterranean,  and 
several  miles  inland;  he  was  also  allowed  to  raise  as 
many  seamen  and  soldiers  as  he  thought  fit,  and  to 
take  as  much  money  as  he  liked  out  of  the  public 
treasury,  and  this  authority  was  to  last  for  three 
years.  Of  course,  if  he  had  wished  it,  he  might 
easily  at  that  time  have  endeavored  to  make  himself 
lord  over  all  the  Roman  dominions;  instead  of  which 
he  did  his  duty  so  thoroughly,  that  in  four  months’ 
time  the  whole  of  the  pirate  ships  were  taken  or 
sunk,  all  the  men  belonging  to  them  were  either 
killed  or  made  prisoners,  or  obliged  to  submit  to  the 
Romans,  and  the  coasts  of  the  Mediterranean  were 
entirely  freed  from  these  terrible  robbers.  Many  of 
the  pirates  were  sent  by  Pompey  to  settle  in  dif- 
ferent places,  or,  as  it  is  called,  to  become  colonists; 
and  in  this  way  they  had  a hope  of  again  living 
respectably  and  honorably. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THIRD  MITHRIDATIC  WAR. 

POMPEY  APPOINTED  TO  CONDUCT  IT,  B.  C.  66. 

B.  C.  66.  I-  We  must  now  go  back  to  the  history 
of  the  war  with  Mithridates,  king  of 
Pontus,  which  broke  out,  as  we  have  heard,  in  the 
time  of  Sertorius.  Lucullus,  a man  famous  for  his 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


I49 


love  of  luxury  and  splendor,  was  employed  for  some 
time  as  the  chief  general,  and  managed  the  war  so 
well  that  Mithridates  was  obliged  to  flee  from  his 
dominions,  and  take  refuge  with  his  son-in-law 
Tigranes,  king  of  Armenia. 

2.  The  Romans  tried  to  persuade  Tigranes  to 
give  up  Mithridates  to  them,  but  this  he  would  not 
consent  to  do;  and  being  a very  powerful  prince,  he 
was  enabled  to  help  his  father-in-law  for  some  time. 
Before  Lucullus  could  subdue  both  these  monarchs 
he  was  called  back  to  Rome,  and  a consul  was  sent 
to  take  his  place,  who  was  not  at  all  equal  to  him. 
The  Roman  senate,  therefore,  soon  made  another 
change,  and  gave  the  whole  command  to  Pompey. 
This  command  was  not  to  be  the  same  as  was  gener- 
ally given  to  a general;  it  was  to  be  as  great  as  that 
which  Pompey  was  allowed  when  he  undertook  to 
destroy  the  pirates. 

3.  Some  persons  objected  to  a law  being  passed 
in  order  to  give  Pompey  such  power,  but  two  of  the 
principal  persons  in  the  state  were  in  favor  of  it,  and 
so  it  was  carried.  These  two  persons  were  Julius 
Caesar  and  Cicero.  We  shall  hear  much  more  about 
them  by-and-by. 

4.  Pompey  was  sailing  about  near  the  coast  of 
Asia  in  the  year  b.  c.  66,  after  completing  the  de- 
struction of  the  pirates,  when  the  news  reached  him 
of  the  great  authority  which  had  been  given  him. 
Though  he  had  been  longing  for  it  in  his  heart,  and 
inducing  his  friends  to  try  and  get  it  for  him,  he  pre- 
tended not  to  like  it,  now  that  he  had  it.  “ What,” 
he  said,  “ will  Rome  burden  me  with  a new  war? 
must  I never  have  any  rest?  ” 

5.  He,  however,  did  not  think  of  refusing  the 
command,  but  immediately  prepared  for  an  under- 


11 


i5o 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


taking  which  he  was  resolved  should  bring  him 
more  fame  than  any  of  his  other  exploits.  And  so  it 
did.  He  was  successful  from  the  very  beginning. 
He  forced  Tigranes  to  submit  to  him,  and  took  from 
him  a great  part  of  his  possessions.  He  completely 
defeated  Mithridates,  and  obliged  him  to  flee  to  Col- 
chis and  the  wild  countries  on  the  borders  of  the 
Euxine  Sea,  or,  as  it  is  now  called,  the  Black  Sea. 
He  afterwards  entered  Syria,  took  the  kingdom,  and 
made  Syria,  with  Phoenicia,  a Roman  province,  and 
then  advanced  into  Judea. 

6.  The  state  of  Judea  at  that  time  is  not  told  us 
in  the  Bible,  but  we  know  from  other  histories,  that 
after  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  had  rebuilt  the  temple 
and  restored  the  government,  the  Jews  were  placed 
under  the  rule  of  their  high-priests  for  many  years, 
but  were  at  the  same  time  considered  subject  to  the 
kings  of  Persia.  They  were  also  in  constant  danger 
from  the  nations  near  them,  and  were  very  often  at 
war.  We  learn  something  of  these  wars  from  the 
books  of  the  Maccabees,  which  describe  how  Judas 
Maccabeus  and  his  brothers,  the  sons  of  one  of  the 
high-priests,  defended  themselves  against  the  kings 
of  Syria.  One  of  the  descendants  of  this  family 
made  himself  king,  and  after  this  Judea  was  gener- 
ally governed  by  kings  until  the  time  of  our  blessed 
Saviour. 

7.  It  happened  that  at  the  period  when  Pornpey 
invaded  Syria,  there  were  two  princes  of  the  family 
of  the  Maccabees  contending  for  the  crown.  Their 
names  were  Hyrcanus  and  Aristobulus.  Both  of 
them  applied  to  Pornpey  for  assistance,  but  he  chose 
to  support  Hyrcanus;  and  when  Aristobulus  took 
refuge  in  Jerusalem,  Pornpey  resolved  to  besiege  the 
city.  The  Jewish  historian,  Josephus,  gives  a long 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  15  I 

description  of  the  siege.  He  speaks  of  the  thick- 
ness of  the  city  walls,  and  the  depth  of  the  valley 
around  them,  and  tells  us  how  careful  the  Jews  were 
to  continue  their  religious  services  even  when  their 
enemies  were  close  at  hand.  But  the  city  was  taken 
at  last,  and  Pompey  and  his  conquering  army  en- 
tered it.  It  seems  that  Pompey  had  some  feeling  of 
respect  for  the  beautiful  temple;  he  refused  to  re- 
ceive the  money  which  was  put  aside  for  sacred  pur- 
poses, and  ordered  the  building  to  be  cleansed,  and 
sacrifices  to  be  offered  as  before.  But  in  one  in- 
stance, he  showed  no  reverence ; he  went  into  the 
Most  Holy  Place — the  Sanctuary,  which  it  was  not 
lawful  but  for  the  high-priest  to  enter;  and  it  has 
been  remarked,  that  from  that  time  the  success 
which  had  followed  him  in  every  thing  he  under- 
took began  to  fail.  Certainly  his  after-life  showed 
that  such  glory  as  he  had  gained  is  in  no  way  to  be 
depended  upon  as  lasting. 

8.  After  settling  Hyrcanus  as  high-priest,  and 
making  Judea  subject  to  Rome,  Pompey  prepared 
to  leave  the  country,  carrying  Aristobulus  with  him. 
On  his  way  from  Jerusalem  to  Petra  in  Arabia,  he 
was  overtaken  by  a party  of  soldiers,  bringing  him 
the  news  of  the  death  of  Mithridates,  king  of  Pontus. 
It  was  a sad  story,  and  one  which  might  well  have 
been  a warning  to  Pompey  of  the  vanity  of  human 
greatness.  Mithridates,  the  great  king,  had  killed 
himself  in  despair,  at  the  wickedness  and  cruelty  of 
his  own  son  Pharnaces,  who  had  rebelled  against 
him.  The  body  of  the  unfortunate  monarch  was 
sent  by  Pharnaces  to  Pompey,  who  showed  it  to  his 
soldiers,  and  then  ordered  it  to  be  buried  with  great 
splendor;  for  he  was  too  generous  to  exult  over  a 
fallen  enemy. 


152 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


9.  As  Pharnaces  was  willing  to  submit  in  all 
things  to  the  Romans,  there  was  now  no  longer 
any  call  for  Pompey  to  remain  in  Asia,  except  in 
order  to  arrange  the  affairs  of  the  different  countries 
which  had  submitted  to  him;  and  accordingly  he 
went  back  to  Italy  the  next  year.  When  he  arrived 
at  Rome  all  the  people  came  out  to  meet  him,  and 
his  triumph  was  the  most  splendid  that  had  ever 
been  seen.  It  lasted  two  days;  and  we  are  told  that 
324  prisoners  of  high  rank  marched  before  his 
chariot,  amongst  them  were  Aristobulus,  king  of 
Judea,  and  a son  of  Tigranes,  king  of  Armenia,  be- 
sides several  of  the  children  of  Mithridates.  The 
treasures  which  he  had  taken  were  worth  about 
three  millions  of  money,  besides  immense  sums 
which  he  paid  to  the  government  and  gave  to  his 
soldiers.  But  what  did  him  more  honor  than  all  the 
grandeur,  was  his  conduct  to  his  prisoners.  In- 
stead of  putting  them  to  death,  or  keeping  them  in 
prison  as  it  was  usually  the  custom  to  do,  he  sent 
them  all  back  to  their  own  countries,  except  Aristo- 
bulus and  young  Tigranes. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Catiline’s  conspiracy, 

DISCOVERED  BY  CICERO  B.  C.  63. 

B ^ i.  Whilst  Pompey  was  gaining  these 

great  victories  in  Asia,  the  Romans  had 
not  been  free  from  danger  at  home;  for  a plot  was 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


153 


formed  against  the  government,  which,  if  it  had  suc- 
ceeded, might  have  brought  complete  ruin  upon  the 
country.  This  plot  is  called  Catiline’s  conspiracy. 
Catiline’s  name  has  been  mentioned  before.  He  was 
the  person  who  assisted  Sylla  in  his  cruelties,  and 
from  this  it  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  what  his  char- 
acter was.  He  was  very  tall,  and  enormously  strong 
in  appearance.  His  disposition  was  bold  and  deter- 
mined; and  he  was  clever,  avaricious,  and  extrava- 
gant. These  last  qualities  were  the  cause  of  his 
engaging  in  the  conspiracy;  for  he  had  brought  him- 
self into  such  great  difficulties,  and  owed  so  much 
money,  that  he  saw  no  prospect  of  freeing  himself, 
except  by  upsetting  the  government  and  seizing  upon 
whatever  he  could  get.  Several  other  nobles  were 
in  the  same  condition,  and  agreed  with  him  to 
murder  the  senators,  and  then  rule  the  country  ac- 
cording to  their  own  fancy.  The  plot  was  discov- 
ered in  the  year  b.  c.  63,  by  Cicero,  the  consul — a 
senator  distinguished  for  talent  and  eloquence,  or 
power  of  speaking,  and  for  his  great  love  of  his 
country.  His  speeches  in  the  senate  were  some  of 
the  most  beautiful  that  were  ever  heard,  and 
amongst  them  there  is  not  one  more  celebrated  than 
that  which  he  made  when  he  accused  Catiline  of 
conspiring  against  his  country.  His  great  fault  was 
vanity,  and  his  disposition  was  rather  wavering;  he 
did  not  always  like  to  speak  out  boldly,  and  say 
which  side  of  a question  he  took. 

2.  Cicero  had  long  suspected  Catiline  of  some 
evil  design,  but  he  was  not  certain  what  the  plot 
really  was  till  he  was  told  it  by  a woman  named 
Fulvia,  who  was  a friend  of  one  of  the  conspirators. 
When  he  had  learned  all  the  particulars,  he  assem- 
bled the  senate,  and  declared  to  them,  in  the  pres- 


154 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


ence  of  Catiline,  the  great  danger  they  were  in. 
Catiline  listened  to  what  was  said  very  quietly,  and 
when  Cicero  had  finished,  stood  up  to  defend  him- 
self; but  he  was  interrupted  by  the  senators,  who, 
with  one  accord  burst  forth  into  reproaches.  Cati- 
line, burning  with  rage,  exclaimed,  “ Since  you  have 
provoked  me  to  the  utmost,  I will  not  perish  alone. 
Those  who  have  sworn  my  ruin  shall  perish  in  the 
same  destruction  as  myself.”  Thus  saying,  he  left 
the  assembly,  and  that  night  departed  from  Rome 
to  put  himself  at  the  head  of  a rebel  army. 

3.  Fresh  proofs  were  now  discovered  of  Catiline’s 
guilt  from  letters  which  fell  into  Cicero’s  hands,  and 
proved  that  he  and  his  friends  had  endeavored  to 
gain  the  assistance  of  the  Gauls.  Some  of  the  prin- 
cipal conspirators  who  remained  in  Rome  were  im- 
mediately thrown  into  prison  and  condemned  to 
death;  and  when  the  sentence  was  passed  Cicero 
went  to  the  prison,  and  in  order  to  be  sure  that  there 
could  be  no  escape,  caused  them  all  to  be  strangled 
in  his  presence.  This  action  was  not  against  the 
Roman  law,  but  it  afterwards  caused  Cicero  a great 
deal  of  trouble.  The  way  in  which  he  told  the 
people  that  the  conspirators  were  killed  is  a curious 
instance  of  the  superstitious  feeling  which  was  com- 
mon at  that  time.  He  cried  out: — Yixerunt;  “They 
have  lived.”  He  did  not  venture  to  say,  “ They  are 
dead,”  because  the  words  were  thought  to  be  an 
ill  omen. 

4.  The  rebellion,  however,  could  not  be  at  an  end 
whilst  Catiline  was  at  the  head  of  an  army,  and  the 
senators  without  delay  took  measures  to  oppose 
him.  It  was  Catiline’s  wish  to  lead  his  troops  into 
Gaul,  where  he  thought  he  should  find  help;  but, 
before  he  could  do  this,  the  army  of  the  senate 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


155 


came  up  with  him,  and  a battle  was  fought,  in  which 
he  was  completely  defeated.  Catiline  showed  much 
bravery  on  this  occasion;  and  when  at  last  he  saw 
that  all  hope  was  gone,  he  rode  into  the  midst  of 
his  enemies  and  fell  amongst  the  heaps  of  the  slain. 

5.  The  remembrance  of  having  defeated  this 
terrible  conspiracy  was  a satisfaction  to  Cicero  all 
his  life.  The  senators  thanked  him  publicly,  and  he 
was  called  the  deliverer  of  Rome  and  the  father  of 
his  country.  Perhaps  we  should  honor  him  more  if 
he  had  thought  less  of  his  own  merit.  When  he 
gave  up  the  consularship,  instead  of  swearing,  as 
was  the  usual  custom,  “ I have  kept  the  laws;  ” he 
swore,  “ I,  alone,  have  preserved  the  Republic  in 
safety.”  Cicero  might  have  imagined,  at  that  time, 
that  nothing  which  could  happen  would  ever  make 
his  fellow-countrymen  forget  what  they  owed  him; 
but  after  events  showed  that  no  services  can  make 
us  safe  from  ingratitude. 

6.  It  was  about  two  years  from  the  discovery  of 
Catiline’s  conspiracy  that  Pompey  returned  from 
Asia;  and,  after  enjoying  the  triumph  which  has 
been  spoken  of,  lived  for  some  time  as  a private 
person.  His  ambition  however  was  in  truth  as 
great  as  ever,  and  one  source  of  continual  mortifi- 
cation to  him  was  to  see  that  other  persons  in  the 
state  were  rising  into  notice  as  well  .as  himself. 
Julius  Caesar  was  his  principal  rival  in  the  favor  of 
the  people;  and,  from  his  talents  and  general  char- 
acter, it  appeared  probable  that  he  would  be  a very 
dangerous  one.  Caesar  is  perhaps  the  most  remark- 
able of  all  the  great  men  whose  names  have  been 
rendered  famous  in  history.  He  was  not  only  a 
most  skilful  general,  but  a learned  man,  a clever 
writer,  and  excellent  public  speaker,  and  a wise 


156 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


ruler.  He  had  great  energy,  and  was  very  persever- 
ing in  all  which  he  undertook;  and  his  disposition 
was  honorable  and  amiable.  Many  things  indeed 
are  told  of  him  which  we  cannot  approve;  but, 
when  we  think  of  the  manners  of  the  times  in  which 
he  lived,  and  of  his  utter  ignorance  of  true  religion, 
we  must  own  that  he  is  a person  to  be  extremely 
admired. 

7.  The  disagreement  between  Pompey  and  Caesar 
did  not  show  itself  for  some  time.  Caesar  was  anx- 
ious to  be  a favorite  with  the  people;  and,  as  Pom- 
pey was  much  liked,  it  suited  his  purpose  to  be 
friendly  with  him.  Crassus,  also — so  famous  for  his 
riches— joined  with  them,  and  the  three  together 
soon  managed  every  thing  according  to  their  own 
will.  They  made  an  agreement  to  support  each 
other  under  all  circumstances,  and  from  this  close 
alliance  they  were  called  the  triumvirate;  and,  in 
order  to  render  the  connection  still  firmer,  Cresar 
gave  Pompey  his  daughter  Julia  for  a wife. 

8.  About  this  time  Caesar  was  made  consul;  and, 
when  his  office  was  ended,  he  induced  the  senate  to 
give  him  the  government  of  the  province  of  Gaul  for 
five  years — although  the  custom  was  that  no  gen- 
eral should  rule  a province  for  more  than  one  year. 
Before  setting  off  Caesar  offered  to  take  Cicero  with 
him  as  his  legate,  but  the  proposal  was  refused;  for 
Cicero  was  just  then  afraid  to  leave  Rome,  as  he 
well  knew  that  he  had  an  enemy  in  the  city  who  was 
plotting  his  ruin.  Clodius  was  the  name  of  this 
man:  he  was  a wicked  unprincipled  person,  who 
hated  Cicero  because  he  had  accused  him  of  a great 
crime  of  which  he  had  been  guilty;  and,  in  order  to 
be  revenged  upon  him,  caused  himself  to  be  chosen 
a tribune,  and  then  brought  forward  a law,  declaring 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  157 

that  any  person  who  had  put  a Roman  citizen  to 
death  without  a regular  trial,  should  be  outlawed. 
This  law,  it  was  plainly  seen,  was  framed  entirely 
against  Cicero,  who  had  caused  the  Catiline  con- 
spirators to  be  executed  before  they  were  regularly 
tried;  but  though  every  effort  was  made  by  Cicero 
and  his  friends  to  prevent  its  being  carried,  it  was 
still  supported  by  so  many  persons,  that  Cicero  saw 
himself  to  be  in  great  danger,  and  at  length  was  per- 
suaded to  leave  the  city  before  he  could  be  actually 
condemned. 

9.  For  sixteen  months  Cicero  was  an  exile.  This 
was  a great  trial  to  him,  and  he  used  to  complain 
bitterly  to  his  friends  of  the  injustice  and  ingratitude 
which  had  been  shown  him,  and  which  were  cer- 
tainly very  trying,  for  besides  being  outlawed,  his 
property  was  seized,  and  his  houses  were  burnt  down 
to  satisfy  the  malice  of  Clodius.  At  the  end  of  six- 
teen months  the  Romans  began  to  see  how  madly 
and  unjustly  they  had  behaved.  Petitions  were 
offered  to  the  senate,  begging  that  Cicero  might  be 
recalled,  and  the  request  was  granted.  Cicero  re- 
turned to  Rome  as  if  he  had  been  a general,  enjoy- 
ing a triumph.  The  senate  went  out  to  meet  him, 
and  the  people  shouted  for  joy  at  beholding  him. 
His  property  was  restored  and  his  houses  were  re- 
built at  the  expense  of  the  state,  and  every  mark  of 
favor  was  shown  him,  as  a proof  that  the  senate  re- 
pented having  consented  to  the  disgraceful  attempts 
which  had  been  made  to  ruin  him. 


158 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

C/ESAR’s  WARS  IN  GAUL. 

BEGUN  B.  C.  58. 

B.  C.  58.  !•  The  account  of  Caesar’s  government 

in  Gaul,  and  of  the  wars  which  he  car- 
ried on  with  the  different  tribes,  has  been  written  by 
himself;  so  that  we  have  a very  correct  history  of 
all  that  went  on.  He  had  a hard  task  to  subdue  the 
country;  but  his  wisdom  and  courage  made  him  suc- 
ceed at  last,  and  gained  him  great  favor  at  Rome, 
where  every  one  admired  and  respected  him.  Only 
one  person  at  all  distrusted  him, — Cato,  the  stern 
senator,  who  loved  his  country’s  freedom  more  than 
any  glory,  and  foresaw  that  Caesar’s  ambition  might 
at  some  future  time  induce  him  to  bring  his  own 
country  into  subjection,  as  he  was  now  conquering 
her  enemies. 

2.  Caesar’s  government  in  Gaul  was,  as  we  know, 
to  last  for  five  years;  but  this  did  not  satisfy  him. 
He  had  set  his  heart  upon  invading  Britain,  the 
white  cliffs  of  which  he  could  just  see  from  the 
coast  of  France.  It  was  a country  of  which  very 
little  was  known.  The  Phoenicians  indeed  had  been 
accustomed  to  get  tin  from  the  mines  in  the  west  of 
the  island,  but  no  one  had  ventured  to  explore  the 
interior.  Its  shores  were  rocky  and  difficult  of  ap- 
proach, and  all  that  Ciesar  could  learn  of  the  man- 
ners and  habits  of  the  wild  people  who  inhabited  it, 
was  from  the  Druids,  or  priests  of  the  Gauls,  who 
professed  the  same  religion,  and  used  the  same  cere- 
monies as  the  Druids  of  Britain.  To  a general  like 
Caesar,  who  was  fond  of  adventures,  and  cared  noth- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


159 


ing  for  danger,  it  was  a great  temptation  to  be  the 
first  to  subdue  this  distant  island;  but,  in  order  to  do 
so,  it  would  be  necessary  still  to  continue  his  com- 
mand in  Gaul.  This  object  he  contrived  to  obtain 
by  the  help  of  his  two  allies,  Pompey  and  Crassus, 
who  were  chosen  consuls  just  in  time  to  make  the 
change  in  the  law  which  was  required. 

3.  These  three  men  still  continued  to  have  every 
thing  according  to  their  own  wishes.  Csesar  loved 
glory  and  conquest,  and  therefore  commanded  in  a 
foreign  province;  Pompey  desired  the  favor  of  his 
fellow-citizens,  and  although  he  was  made  governor 
in  Spain,  sent  a legate  to  govern  for  him,  and  re- 
mained at  Rome  trying  to  make  himself  friends,  and 
watching  all  that  was  going  on;  and  Crassus,  whose 
only  care  was  to  be  rich,  went  to  rule  over  Syria, 
where  he  intended  to  extort  immense  sums  of 
money  from  the  nations  subject  to  him. 

4.  We  will  follow  him  now  to  the  end  of  his  life, 
(for  he  was  not  suffered  to  live  long  after  his  arrival 
in  Syria,)  and  see  the  end  of  his  avarice. 

5.  Before  leaving  Rome  he  made  a boast  of  the 
countries  which  he  was  going  to  conquer;  yet  these 
countries  were  at  peace  with  Rome,  and  he  had  no 
excuse  for  making  war  upon  them.  One  of  the  trib- 
unes heard  his  vaunt,  and  warned  him  that  he  was 
going  to  commit  a great  crime.  Crassus  scorned 
him;  and  the  tribune  then  solemnly  cursed  him, 
and  prayed  that  if  he  kept  to  his  intentions  the  gods 
might  take  vengeance  upon  him. 

6.  Crassus,  however,  cared  nothing  for  religion, 
and  pursued  his  own  course.  He  declared  war  un- 
justly, and  took  large  sums  of  money  from  the  peo- 
ple, plundering  the  temple  of  Jerusalem  of  the  very 
treasure  which  Pompey  had  refused  to  receive.  But 


i6o 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


his  punishment  came  at  last.  In  a battle  with  the 
Parthians  his  army  was  defeated;  and  soon  after- 
wards his  young  son  was  killed  before  his  eyes,  and 
he  himself,  whilst  trying  to  escape,  being  made  pris- 
oner, was  slain.  The  Parthian  soldiers  cut  off  his 
head  and  carried  it  to  their  king,  who  caused  it  to 
be  filled  with  melted  gold,  exclaiming — “ Sate  thy- 
self now  with  that  metal  of  which  in  life  thou  wert 
so  greedy.” 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

Caesar’s  conquest  of  Britain. 

FIRST  INVASION,  B.  C.  55. 

B.  C.  55.  !■  Although  Caesar  was  kept  a long 

time  in  Gaul  before  he  could  entirely 
subdue  the  different  warlike  tribes,  he  never  forgot 
his  wish  of  invading  Britain.  Accordingly,  as  soon 
as  he  could  make  the  necessary  arrangements,  he 
collected  a number  of  vessels,  and  with  a body  of 
troops  crossed  the  narrow  channel  between  Calais 
and  Deal,  which  is  the  shortest  passage  from  France 
to  England;  or,  as  the  countries  were  then  called, 
from  Gaul  to  Britain. 

2.  The  natives  rushed  to  the  coast  when  they  saw 
these  invaders  approaching  their  shores,  determined 
to  prevent  them  from  landing.  They  were  a wild, 
savage-looking  people,  clothed  with  the  skins  of 
animals,  and  having  parts  of  their  bodies  painted 
blue:  but  Caesar  had  long  been  accustomed  to  make 
war  upon  barbarians;  and,  though  the  Britons  made 
a brave  resistance,  he  at  last  succeeded  in  landing. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


1 6 1 


3.  This  first  expedition,  however,  neither  lasted 
very  long  nor  proved  very  important;  for,  although 
some  of  the  British  tribes  offered  to  submit  to  the 
Romans,  it  was  so  late  in  the  year  that  Caesar  was 
afraid  to  remain  and  continue  his  conquest,  and 
therefore  went  back  to  Gaul,  satisfied  with  having 
been  the  first  person  who  had  ventured  to  attack 
the  warlike  hardy  inhabitants  of  the  distant  island. 

4.  The  next  year  he  returned,  landed  at  the  same 
place,  and  then  advanced  into  Kent,  which  was 
under  the  dominion  of  a chief  named  Cassivelaunus. 
The  Britons  in  vain  endeavored  to  stop  him.  He 
went  on  with  his  troops  as  far  as  what  now  is  the 
county  of  Surrey,  till  he  came  to  a place  where  the 
river  Thames  was  not  as  deep  as  in  other  parts,  and 
here  he  determined  to  cross  it.  The  Britons  drove 
stakes  into  the  river  to  stop  him,  and  from  this  the 
spot  was  afterwards  called  Cowey  Stakes;  but 
Caesar  crossed  as  he  had  intended,  and  was  then 
able  to  take  possession  of  the  capital  of  Cassivelau- 
nus, and  to  conquer  parts  of  Essex  and  Middlesex, 
and  by  that  time  Cassivelaunus  saw  that  it  would 
be  wise  to  beg  for  peace.  Caesar  granted  it,  as  he 
was  obliged  to  return  to  Gaul.  He  made  the  Britons 
pay  him  tribute,  and  took  back  hostages  with  him, 
but  he  left  no  troops  in  the  island;  and,  as  might 
naturally  have  been  expected,  the  Britons  gave  up 
their  obedience  as  soon  as  they  were  freed  from  the 
presence  of  the  Romans. 


1 62 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

CIVIL  WAR  BETWEEN  POMPEY  AND  CAESAR. 

C.ESAR  CROSSES  THE  RUBICON,  B.  C.  49. 

B.  C.  49.  i-  Whilst  Caesar  was  thus  adding  to 
his  fame  by  his  conquests  in  foreign 
countries,  Pompey  was  becoming  more  and  more 
his  enemy;  for  two  ambitious  persons  are  sure  to 
quarrel  with  and  hate  each  other,  and  unfortunately 
the  only  real  bond  of  union  between  them  was  soon 
destroyed  by  the  death  of  Julia,  Pompey’s  wife  and 
Caesar’s  daughter.  She  was  a very  beautiful,  amia- 
ble person,  and  Caesar  loved  her  dearly;  and  when 
Pompey  afterwards  married  Cornelia,  the  daughter 
of  Crassus,  they  had  no  longer  any  interest  in  com- 
mon. 

2.  The  state  of  Rome  at  this  period  was  very  dis- 
graceful: Clodius,  of  whom  we  have  heard  before 
as  the  enemy  of  Cicero,  and  Milo,  a very  wealthy 
and  powerful  senator,  were  constantly  disputing; 
and  not  only  in  words,  but  they  had  each  a large 
number  of  followers  who  used  to  fight  when  they 
met.  It  happened  at  last,  on  the  occasion  of  some 
great  disturbance,  that  Clodius  was  killed.  Persons 
said  that  Milo  stabbed  him;  and,  whether  this  was 
true  or  not,  every  one  saw  that  it  was  necessary  to 
do  something  to  bring  back  order.  It  was  proposed 
therefore  that  Pompey  should  be  made  consul  alone, 
in  order  to  give  him  greater  power,  and  this  office 
he  kept  for  some  time;  after  which  his  father-in-law 
was  joined  with  him. 

3.  Pompey  was  now  master  in  Rome;  and  the 
nobles,  having  an  idea  that  he  was  more  inclined  to 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  1 63 

favor  them  than  before,  sided  with  him  entirely.  To 
show  their  dislike  to  Caesar,  they  proposed  that  he 
should  be  recalled  from  Gaul,  and  some  one  else  ap- 
pointed in  his  place.  Pompey  however  would  not 
consent  to  this;  for  he  did  not  choose  yet  to  declare 
himself  Ctesar’s  enemy  openly.  He  had  a law 
passed,  to  allow  Caesar  to  stand  for  the  consulship, 
even  whilst  he  was  absent  from  Rome.  But  the 
proposal  alarmed  the'senators:  for  they  knew  that  if 
Caesar  was  allowed  to  be  consul,  and  still  to  keep  the 
command  of  his  soldiers,  who  had  so  long  fought 
under  him,  he  would  in  fact  be  like  a king,  as  his 
commands  were  certain  to  be  obeyed.  Instead 
therefore  of  making  him  consul,  an  order  was  sent, 
after  some  delay,  requiring  him  to  disband  his  army 
by  a particular  day;  and  declaring  that,  if  he  refused, 
he  should  be  considered  a public  enemy.  Caesar 
was  then  in  what  was  called  Cisalpine  Gaul, — the 
country  at  the  foot  of  the  Alps,  in  the  north  of  Italy. 
Transalpine  Gaul  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  moun- 
tains. The  news  of  all  that  was  going  on  at  Rome 
was  brought  him  by  three  of  his  friends,  who  were 
tribunes,  and  had  endeavored  as  much  as  possible  to 
prevent  any  wrong  being  done  him.  Mark  Antony 
was  one  of  these. friends;  a person  of  bad  character, 
but  brave  and  clever,  who  afterwards  followed 
Caesar  faithfully  in  all  his  difficulties. 

4.  Caesar  was  not  a person  to  be  frightened  by 
threats,  he  was  quite  resolved  not  to  give  up  his 
command;  and  whilst  he  made  his  plans,  and  ar- 
ranged with  his  friends  what  every  one  was  to  do, 
he  was  in  appearance  as  quiet  and  unconcerned  as 
ever.  The  very  day  after  Mark  Antony  and  his 
companions  arrived  he  made  a great  feast,  and  en- 
tertained his  guests  with  a show  of  gladiators;  but. 


164 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


as  the  evening  drew  on,  he  excused  himself  to  the 
party,  and  left  them,  begging  them  to  remain  till  his 
return.  A chariot  was  in  readiness.  Caesar  threw 
himself  into  it,  drove  to  the  spot  where  he  had  ap- 
pointed some  of  his  officers  and  soldiers  to  meet 
him,  and  then  proceeded  onwards,  until  he  reached 
the  banks  of  the  little  river  Rubicon,  which  divided 
his  province  of  Cisalpine  Gaul  from  the  rest  of  Italy, 
and  which  no  general  was  permitted  to  pass  with 
an  army.  Here  he  became  silent  and  full  of  thought; 
one  minute  resolved  to  go  forward  with  his  army  to 
Rome,  and  the  next  thinking  it  better  to  go  back. 
“ If  I do  not  cross  the  river,”  he  said,  turning  to 
one  of  his  friends,  “ I am  undone.  If  I do  cross  it, 
how  many  calamities  shall  I by  this  step  bring  upon 
Rome!  ” Again  he  paused  and  considered,  and 
then  exclaiming,  “ The  die  is  cast,”  plunged  into  the 
river.  It  was  a most  important  step,  for  the  cross- 
ing of  that  little  river  brought  a change  upon  the 
whole  government  of  Rome. 

5.  Pompey  and  the  senators  were  greatly 
alarmed  when  they  heard  that  Caesar  was  advancing 
with  his  army  into  Italy.  Until  that  moment  Pom- 
pey had  fully  believed  that  Caesar’s  troops  were  dis- 
satisfied with  him,  and  would  forsake  him  on  their 
arrival  in  Italy. 

6.  When  Cicero  advised  him  to  prepare  for  his 
enemy,  and  asked  with  what  forces  he  meant  to 
oppose  him,  Pompey  proudly  answered,  “ If  I do 
but  stamp  with  my  feet,  an  army  will  start  out 
of  the  ground.”  Now,  he  was  reproached  with 
the  vain  boast,  and  there  was  no  reply  to  give.  His 
presence  of  mind  seemed  to  have  forsaken  him,  and 
hastily  calling  upon  the  senators  and  magistrates  to 
follow  him,  he  departed  from  Rome,  and  retired  to 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  1 65 

Brundusium,  a seaport  on  the  southeastern  side  of 
Italy. 

7.  In  the  meantime  Caesar  entered  Rome  in  tri- 
umph, no  one  having  authority  to  oppose  him,  for 
the  magistrates  had  left  the  city.  Cicero  remained 
in  the  neighborhood,  in  his  villa  at  Tusculum;  and 
Caesar  went  to  visit  him,  hoping  to  bring  him  over 
to  his  side:  but  Cicero  was  not  to  be  persuaded, 
either  by  arguments  or  entreaties.  Caesar’s  next  ob- 
ject was  to  obtain  money  for  carrying  out  his  plans. 
He  went  to  the  treasury  for  this  purpose  and  found 
it  locked.  A young  tribune  was  bold  enough  to 
forbid  its  being  opened.  Caesar  laid  his  hand  on  his 
sword,  and  threatened  to  kill  him,  adding  sternly — 
“ This  you  know,  young  man,  is  harder  for  me  to 
say  than  to  do.”  The  treasury  was  accordingly 
broken  open,  and  as  much  money  taken  from  it  as 
was  required. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

C^SAR  ATTACKS  POMPEY. 

BATTLE  OF  PHARSALIA,  B.  C.  48. 

B.  C.  48.  I-  As  yet  no  drop  of  blood  had  been 
shed  in  the  quarrel  between  Pompey 
and  Caesar;  and  this  was  a great  triumph  to 
Caesar,  who  was  not  at  all  of  a cruel  disposition. 
But  it  was  certain  that  such  a state  of  things  could 
not  continue,  and  he  therefore  made  considerable 
preparations  for  war.  Pompey  had  left  Brundu- 
sium and  was  gone  to  Greece;  and  whilst  he  and 


12 


1 66  HISTORY  OF  ROME. 

his  friends  were  collecting  allies  and  forces  in  Sicily, 
Africa,  Egypt,  and  Asia,  all  which  countries  were 
favorable  to  him,  Caesar  sent  generals  and  officers 
to  oppose  him,  and  went  himself  to  Spain.  Spain 
was  Pompey’s  province,  as  Gaul  was  Caesar’s;  he 
was,  therefore,  more  powerful  there  than  in  any 
other  place:  yet  Caesar’s  good-fortune  followed  him, 
and  in  forty  days  he  had  brought  over  the  whole 
country  to  his  side,  and  was  able  to  return  to  Rome, 
and  receive  the  honor  of  being  made  dictator  and 
consul.  The  dictatorship  he  only  held  for  eleven 
days,  during  which  he  passed  several  useful  laws. 

2.  By  this  time  Pompey  had  collected  both  men 
and  money,  and  had  a large  fleet  at  his  command. 
Many  of  the  chief  persons  in  the  state  were  on  his 
side:  Cicero  and  Cato  amongst  the  number.  There 
was  one,  however,  whom  Caesar  regretted  more  than 
all  the  others, — Marcus  Brutus,  a stern,  silent,  but 
most  honorable  man,  who  had  no  real  friendship  for 
Pompey,  but  followed  him  entirely  because  he 
thought  that  his  cause  was  the  best  for  the  country. 
Caesar  had  a great  regard  for  Brutus,  and  looked 
upon  him  almost  as  his  son;  yet  this  did  not  pre- 
vent Brutus  from  taking  part  against  him.  He  was 
a man  who  gave  up  all  personal  affection  for  what 
he  believed  to  be  the  cause  of  freedom. 

3.  Now  that  Caesar  was  master  in  Spain,  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  attack  Pompey  himself;  and 
accordingly  he  sailed  for  Greece,  where  Pompey 
was,  as  soon  as  possible;  but  he  had  not  ships  suffi- 
cient to  carry  over  his  whole  army,  and  was  there- 
fore obliged  to  leave  some  of  his  troops  at  Brundu- 
sium.  Mark  Antony  remained  with  them,  and  the 
agreement  was  that  they  were  to  join  Caesar  quickly. 
Several  things  happened  to  prevent  this  being  done, 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


167 

and  Caesar  became  so  impatient  at  the  delay  that  he 
disguised  himself  in  the  dress  of  a slave,  and  one 
night  went  on  board  a fisherman’s  boat  intending  to 
cross  the  Adriatic  Sea,  and  find  out  for  himself  why 
his  troops  were  detained  at  Brundusium.  The  ene- 
my’s vessels  were  scattered  about;  but  he  had  no 
thought  of  danger  of  any  kind,  and  the  little  boat 
sailed  from  the  shore  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  and 
for  some  distance  all  went  well.  Suddenly  a strong 
breeze  sprang  up,  both  the  wind  and  the  tide  were 
contrary,  and  the  master  of  the  boat,  despairing  of 
crossing  the  sea,  proposed  to  put  back.  Then 
Caesar  started  up  and  taking  him  by  the  hand,  said: 
“ Go  on  boldly,  my  friend,  and  fear  nothing;  thou 
bearest  Caesar  and  his  fortune.”  The  men  increased 
their  efforts;  but  Caesar’s  presumptuous  boast  had 
no  power  to  command  the  winds  and  the  waves. 
He  was  obliged  to  return,  weary  and  disappointed, 
and  made  no  second  attempt;  and  soon  afterwards 
Mark  Antony  succeeded  in  escaping  the  enemy's 
ships  and  ail  other  perils,  and  brought  the  troops 
safely  to  Greece. 

4.  Pompey  was  at  that  time  at  Dyrrachium,  now 
called  Durazzo,  a city  on  the  coast  of  Illyricum,  op- 
posite Italy,  and  there  Caesar  went  to  besiege  him. 
His  men  were  much  tried  by  hunger,  as  they  could 
get  very  little  food  in  the  country;  whilst  Pompey’s 
soldiers  had  provisions  brought  them  by  sea.  But 
no  hardships  could  crush  the  spirit  of  the  brave  sol- 
diers who  had  followed  Caesar  for  so  many  years; 
and  in  order  to  convince  Pompey  that  he  need  not 
expect  them  to  give  up  the  siege,  because  they  were 
suffering,  from  famine,  they  threw  their  loaves  into 
the  enemy’s  camp,  and  sent  word  that  Caesar’s  sol- 
diers would  rather  live  upon  grass  than  change  their 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


1 68 

purpose.  They  were  obliged  to  do  so  however,  for 
a disease  broke  out  amongst  them,  and  this  with  the 
famine  was  more  than  they  could  bear.  But  Pom- 
pey  did  not  gain  any  great  advantage  in  conse- 
quence. Caesar  removed  into  Thessaly,  and  Pompey 
followed  him  with  his  troops  and  came  up  with  him 
on  the  plains  of  Pharsalia,  and  there  a battle  was 
fought  in  the  year  b.  c.  48,  which  is  one  of  the  most 
memorable  in  history. 

5.  A river  ran  through  the  plains  of  Pharsalia, 
which  were  surrounded  on  ail  sides  by  high  moun- 
tains. Pompey  pitched  his  camp  on  a spot  where  it 
was  very  difficult  to  reach  it.  He  was  persuaded  to 
risk  the  battle  against  his  own  judgment;  but  his 
men  were  sure  of  victory,  and  amused  themselves  by 
preparing  for  a feast,  which  was  to  be  enjoyed  when 
the  battle  was  over.  They  had  even  settled  what 
great  officers  and  treasures  they  should  have  on 
their  return  to  Rome;  and  some  had  gone  so  far  as 
to  hire  houses  suitable  for  the  dignity  which  they 
intended  to  acquire.  These  were  young  men,  boast- 
ing and  presumptuous.  Caesar’s  soldiers  were  very 
different,  and  Caesar  took  advantage  of  what  he 
knew  to  be  the  character  of  Pompey’s  chief  officers, 
and  told  his  troops  when  the  battle  began,  to  strike 
at  their  faces  instead  of  their  legs  or  their  bodies,  as 
he  was  convinced  they  were  so  vain  of  their  hand- 
some appearance,  that  rather  than  have  it  injured 
they  would  run  away.  The  prospect  of  a battle  was 
a relief  to  Caesar  himself;  and  he  cheered  his  men 
by  saying  that  the  wished-for  day  was  come  at  last, 
when  they  should  fight  with  men,  not  with  disease 
and  famine. 

6.  The  trumpets  sounded  and  the  battle  began. 
Caesar’s  troops  rushed  forward,  whilst  Pompey’s 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


169 


stood  to  defend  themselves.  The  mode  of  attack 
which  Caesar  had  ordered,  was  one  which  they  were 
quite  unaccustomed  to;  the  young  patricians  were 
unable  to  bear  it,  and  fled  because  they  feared  to 
have  their  faces  covered  with  scars.  Pompey  was 
overcome  with  anger  at  the  sight;  without  endeav- 
oring to  rally  them,  he  left  the  field  of  battle,  and  re- 
tired slowly  to  his  camp,  where  he  shut  himself  up 
in  his  tent.  When,  shortly  afterwards,  news  was 
brought  him  that  his  army  was  totally  defeated,  he 
disguised  himself  as  he  best  could,  and  departed, 
leaving  Caesar  to  take  possession  of  the  rich  tents 
and  pavilions,  adorned  with  beautiful  carpets  and 
curtains;  the  tables  spread  out  with  silver,  and  flow- 
ers, and  bowls  of  wine;  and  all  the  preparations  for 
that  great  feast  which  he  had  so  confidently  expected 
to  enjoy  himself.  Caesar’s  conduct  upon  this  occa- 
sion was  merciful  and  honorable,  as  usual.  Those 
who  fled  were  not  pursued,  and  orders  were  given 
to  spare  as  many  as  possible.  The  letters  found  in 
Pompey’s  tent  were  burnt  without  being  read; 
Caesar  preferring,  as  he  said,  to  be  ignorant  of  crime, 
rather  than  to  punish  it.  In  his  moment  of  triumph 
he  had  no  thought  of  revenge,  even  against  one 
whom  he  had  loved,  but  who  had  forsaken  him.  He 
sought  for  Marcus  Brutus,  and  freely  pardoned  him. 
Brutus  was  too  high-minded  himself  not  to  be 
struck  by  such  generosity.  He  followed  Caesar  from 
that  hour,  until  once  more  he  became  afraid  of  his 
ambition;  and  how  bitterly  he  grieved  for  that  one 
fault,  and  how  terribly  he  punished  it,  after  events 
will  show. 

7.  Pompey’s  friends  were  all  dispersed  after  the 
battle  of  Pharsalia.  Cicero  went  to  Italy;  Cato  to 
Africa;  Pompey  himself,  accompanied  by  his  wife 


170  HISTORY  OF  ROME. 

Cornelia  and  his  son  Sextus,  sailed  for  Egypt,  hop- 
ing to  find  safety  with  Ptolemy  Dionysius,  the  king 
of  that  country.  Some  years  before,  the  father  of 
this  prince  had  been  dethroned  by  his  subjects,  and 
Pompey  had  assisted  him  in  recovering  his  crown. 
It  was  natural,  therefore,  to  hope  that  Ptolemy 
Dionysius  would  give  them  support  now  in  his  dis- 
tress. But  Ptolemy  was  a young  prince  under  the 
guidance  of  evil  counsellors;  and  when  the  intelli- 
gence arrived  that  Pompey  was  approaching,  they 
gave  their  opinion  as  to  what  was  to  be  done,  by 
saying,  “ If  we  receive  him  we  shall  make  Caesar 
our  enemy,  and  Pompey  our  master:  if  we  dismiss 
him,  Pompey  will  hate  us  for  being  inhospitable,  and 
Caesar  for  allowing  his  enemy  to  escape.  Dead  men 
cannot  bite.” 

8.  This  was  a wicked  suggestion  for  Pompey’s 
death;  but  it  was  not  declared  openly.  Achillas, 
an  officer  of  distinction,  was  sent  to  meet  him,  ac- 
companied by  a man  named  Septimius,  who  had 
once  been  a centurion  in  the  Roman  army.  Cor- 
nelia parted  from  her  husband  on  board  the  vessel, 
for  she  was  not  to  follow  him  to  the  shore.  She 
wept  bitterly  as  she  stood  upon  the  deck,  watching 
the  boat  which  conveyed  him  from  her.  No  civility 
was  shown  him.  He  spoke  to  the  centurion,  and 
calling  him  by  his  name,  said,  “ Methinks  I should 
know  you,  friend.  Have  we  not  been  formerly 
fellow-soldiers?  ” But  the  only  reply  was  a moody 
nod  of  the  head.  Then  Pompey  took  out  a little 
book  in  which  he  had  written  a speech  in  Greek, 
which  he  intended  to  address  to  Ptolemy,  and  thus 
in  silence  and  gloom  they  neared  the  land.  Still 
Cornelia  gazed  intently.  She  observed  persons  of 
distinction  approaching  to  meet  her  husband,  and 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


171 


the  sight  gave  her  hope;  but  the  next  minute,  Pom- 
pey  stood  up  to  quit  the  boat,  and  she  saw  swords 
glitter  in  the  sunlight  as  Septimius  lifted  up  his  hand 
and  stabbed  Pompey  in  the  back,  whilst  his  com- 
panions joined  in  the  attack.  Pompey  fell,  covering 
his  face  with  his  robe.  Cornelia  uttered  a wild 
shriek,  heard  even  to  the  shore,  and  the  sailors  with- 
out delay  weighed  anchor,  and  sailed  from  the  spot 
where  such  a cruel  murder  had  been  committed. 
The  head  of  Pompey  the  Great  was  cut  off,  and  kept 
as  a present  for  Caesar;  his  body  was  left  upon  the 
beach.  The  inhabitants  of  the  country  came  near  to 
look  upon  it  scornfully  and  idly;  but  there  was  one 
person  who  would  not  forsake  his  master’s  cause 
even  then.  Philip,  the  freedman  of  Pompey,  stood 
by,  watching  and  guarding  the  body,  and  after  the 
careless  crowds  were  gone,  he  washed  it  and 
wrapped  it  in  a garment  of  his  own,  and  collecting 
the  planks  of  a broken  fishing-boat,  made  a funeral 
pile,  upon  which  he  burnt  it  according  to  the  cus- 
tom of  the  Romans.  An  old  soldier,  who  had  once 
fought  under  Pompey,  came  by  at  the  time  and 
assisted  him;  and  thus  the  last  honors  were  paid 
to  the  great  general. 

9.  Caesar  followed  Pompey  to  Egypt.  On  his 
arrival  at  Alexandria,  Achillas  welcomed  him  by 
presenting  him  with  Pompey’s  signet  ring,  and  his 
bloody  head  covered  with  a veil.  He  turned  away 
his  eyes  and  burst  into  tears.  So  generous  a person 
could  not  rejoice  over  the  misfortunes  of  the  man 
who  had  once  been  his  friend. 

10.  There  was  now  an  opportunity  for  Caesar  to 
interfere  with  the  government  of  Egypt,  and  he  took 
advantage  of  it.  The  late  king  had  by  will  ordered 
that  Ptolemy  Dionysius  should,  according  to  the 


172 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


habits  of  the  country,  marry  his  sister,  whose  name 
was  Cleopatra,  and  reign  with  her;  but  this  had  not 
been  done.  Ptolemy’s  governors  hated  Cleopatra,  and 
forced  her  to  leave  her  dominions;  and  now  she 
applied  to  Caesar  for  his  help.  Cleopatra  was  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  women  that  ever  lived;  every 
one  who  came  near  was  charmed  with  her:  but 
she  had  no  right  principles,  and  cared  only  for 
luxury  and  self-indulgence.  She  quite  won  over 
Caesar  to  her  side,  for  after  seeing  her  he  could 
not  bear  to  refuse  anything  she  asked,  and  in  or- 
der to  support  her  cause  he  joined  his  troops  to 
hers,  and  took  possession  of  the  citadel  of  Alex- 
andria. 

11.  This  war  in  Egypt — between  Ptolemy  on  the 
one  side  and  Ciesar  and  Cleopatra  on  the  other — is 
usually  called  the  Alexandrine  war.  In  the  course 
of  it  the  library  of  Alexandria,  the  most  celebrated 
in  the  world,  was  burnt.  It  contained  400,000  vol- 
umes. The  war  lasted  several  months.  Ptolemy 
Dionysius  was  killed,  and  Cleopatra  was  crowned 
queen  of  Egypt.  Caesar  caused  her  younger  brother 
to  be  made  king;  but  he  was  quite  a boy,  and  she 
could  not  bear  him,  and  had  him  secretly  murdered 
in  order  to  reign  alone.  It  seemed  natural  to  expect 
after  this  that  Caesar  would  go  back  to  Italy;  but  he 
was  so  delighted  with  Cleopatra  that  he  could  not 
make  up  his  mind  to  leave  her,  and  remained  month 
after  month  wasting  his  time,  and  living  only  to 
amuse  himself,  until  at  length  the  news  of  a war  hav- 
ing broken  out  in  Pontus  roused  him,  and  forced 
him  to  exert  himself.  He  showed  then  the  same 
energy  and  courage  as  ever.  He  departed  for  Pon- 
tus, defeated  his  enemies,  and  set  off  for  Italy,  in 
such  a wonderfully  short  space  of  time,  that  his  vie- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  173 

tory  was  described  by  himself  in  these  words — Veni, 
vidi,  vici;  or,  “ I came,  saw,  conquered.” 


CHAPTER  XLI. 
c^sar’s  power  fully  established. 

DEATH  OF  CATO,  B.  C.  46. 

B C 46  I'  When  Caesar  landed  in  Italy  he  was 
met  by  Cicero;  who  had  much  reason 
to  fear  his  return,  as  he  had  always  taken  Pompey’s 
part.  But  Caesar,  in  order  to  show  that  he  had  no 
wish  for  revenge,  received  him  with  the  greatest 
courtesy;  dismounted  from  his  horse  to  welcome 
him,  and  walked  with  him  alone  a long  time.  All 
this  attention  pleased  Cicero  excessively;  but  he 
still  did  not  feel  quite  safe,  and  chose  to  remain  at 
a distance  from  Rome,  and  occupy  himself  with  his 
books,  and  the  writings  which  have  made  his  name 
famous  to  this  day. 

2.  There  was  much  now  for  Caesar  to  arrange  in 
the  city;  but  his  chief  trouble  arose  from  the  bad 
conduct  of  his  friends,  especially  that  of  Dolabella, 
Cicero’s  son-in-law,  a person  of  bad  character,  who, 
having  spent  his  own  money,  wished  to  have  a law 
passed  doing  away  with  all  debts.  Caesar,  how- 
ever, soon  settled  these  disturbances,  for,  as  he  was 
chosen  dictator  for  another  year,  he  had  full  power 
to  do  all  that  he  liked. 

3.  When  we  compare  Caesar’s  conduct  with  that 
of  Marius  and  Sylla,  it  is  impossible  not  to  respect 


174 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


him.  His  wish,  when  he  had  authority,  seemed  to 
be  to  make  good  laws  and  forget  all  injuries:  but 
he  could  not  persuade  every  one  that  it  was  right 
he  should  be  at  the  head  of  the  state;  and  Pom- 
pey’s  friends  still  kept  up  war  against  him  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  world.  Cato  was  his  chief  enemy. 
He  was  in  Africa  with  Juba,  king  of  Numidia,  and 
as  soon  as  Caesar  had  brought  Rome  into  order,  he 
set  out  for  that  country.  His  usual  good  fortune 
followed  him.  Juba  was  defeated;  and  Cato,  who 
was  at  Utica,  unable  to  bear  the  disgrace  of  falling 
into  his  enemy’s  hands,  determined  to  perform 
what  the  Romans  thought  a noble  deed,  and  de- 
stroy himself.  He  advised  his  friends  to  leave  the 
city,  and  exhorted  the  inhabitants,  when  Caesar  was 
expected  to  enter  it,  to  throw  open  the  gates,  and 
go  out  to  meet  him  and  beg  for  mercy.  He  him- 
self bathed  according  to  his  custom  before  supper, 
and  afterwards  sat  down  cheerfully  with  his  friends, 
who  remained  with  him  conversing  upon  deep  and 
serious  subjects.  Upon  going  to  his  room  he 
ordered  a slave  to  bring  him  his  sword,  but  when 
the  man  delayed  and  hesitated,  having  a suspicion 
of  what  he  intended  to  do,  Cato  burst  into  a fit  of 
passion  and  struck  him  with  such  violence  that  he 
hurt  himself;  for  although  he  was  a philosopher, 
and  could  discourse  upon  most  deep  and  puzzling 
subjects,  he  had  not  learned  to  command  his  temper. 
The  sword  however  was  brought  him,  and  he  seemed 
then  satisfied,  and  taking  up  a book,  sat  down  to 
read.  The  book  which  he  chose  was  the  work  of 
one  of  the  wisest  and  best  of  heathens,  Plato,  a 
Greek  philosopher.  It  was  upon  the  immortality 
of  the  soul,  and  doubtless  at  such  a time  it  must  have 
encouraged  and  comforted  Cato,  weary  as  he  was 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


175 


of  the  trials  of  this  life  and  longing  for  rest  in 
another.  But  there  was  nothing  certain  in  it.  Plato 
and  his  followers  thought  and  hoped  there  was  a 
world  of  happiness  to  come,  but  they  were  not  sure 
of  it,  and  the  knowledge  of  a little  Christian  child 
would,  at  that  moment,  have  been  a blessing  beyond 
all  price  to  the  unhappy  Roman;  though  it  would 
have  taught  him  that  self-destruction  is  a great  sin, 
and  that  it  would  be  better  to  live  for  years  the  slave 
of  Caesar  rather  than  commit  it.  At  length,  over- 
come with  fatigue,  Cato  lay  down  to  rest.  He  slept 
for  some  time,  and  when  he  awoke  made  inquiries 
about  his  friends,  who  were  to  have  left  the  city. 
This  made  his  son  and  others  who  were  in  the  house 
happier,  and  they  began  to  think  that  he  had  no 
such  intention  as  they  had  suspected;  but  when 
morning  dawned  and  they  entered  his  room,  they 
found  him  lying  on  the  floor  half  dead  from  a 
wound  which  he  had  given  himself.  In  distress 
and  horror  they  tried  every  means  to  save  his  life; 
but  he  would  not  be  assisted,  and  thrusting  aside 
the  physicians  who  attended  him,  tore  off  the  band- 
ages of  his  wound,  and  expired. 

4.  Caesar  arrived  shortly  afterwards.  He  ex- 
pressed much  sorrow  for  the  loss  of  a man  so  cele- 
brated for  honor  and  truth,  and  exclaimed: — “ Cato, 
I envy  thee  thy  death,  since  thou  hast  envied  me  the 
glory  of  saving  thy  life.” 

5.  The  only  enemy  remaining  for  Caesar  to  con- 
quer when  the  war  in  Africa  was  ended,  was  Cneius 
Pompey,  the  eldest  son  of  Pompey  the  Qfeat,  who, 
with  his  brother  Sextus,  was  in  Spain.  Caesar  was 
afraid  to  trust  the  command  to  any  one  but  himself, 
and  therefore  went  to  Spain  as  soon  as  he  had  ar- 
ranged his  affairs  in  Africa.  This  was  the  iSst  effort 


1 76 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


made  by  Pompey’s  friends,  and  it  was  the  most  des- 
perate of  all.  Caesar,  however,  was  victorious  in  the 
end.  Cneius  Pompey  was  killed,  and  Sextus  es- 
caped and  lived  in  concealment  until  after  Caesar’s 
death. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

JULIUS  C/ESAR  DICTATOR  FOR  LIFE. 

MURDERED  B.  C.  44. 

B.  C.  44  . T-  And  now,  upon  Caesar’s  return  to 
Rome,  it  would  have  seemed  that  his 
great  ambition  must  have  been  satisfied;  for  he  was 
lord  of  the  vast  Roman  dominions,  being  made  dic- 
tator for  life,  and  the  titles  of  imperator  and  father 
of  his  country  were  bestowed  upon  him.  The  title 
imperator,  or  emperor,  had  a different  meaning  then 
from  what  it  has  now.  It  was  properly  given  to 
the  Roman  generals  as  a high  honor;  but  it  did  not 
descend  from  father  to  son,  and  might  be  granted 
to  any  person  whom  the  senate  wished  to  reward. 
Sylla,  we  may  remember,  gave  the  title  of  imperator 
to  Pompey.  Besides  these  titles,  Caesar  was  made 
dictator  for  life;  his  statue  was  placed  among  those 
of  the  kings,  and  the  month  in  which  he  was  born 
was  named  after  him — July,  from  Julius.  Yet  Caesar 
was  not  satisfied:  earthly  ambition  never  is:  there 
is  always  something  which  we  wish  for  and  cannot 
have.  The  wish  lurking  in  Caesar’s  heart  was  to 
make  himself  a king:  the  title  of  imperator,  as  it 
only  signified  the  highest  military  authority,  did  not 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


1 77 


satisfy  him.  He  did  not  however  show  this  at  once, 
for  he  occupied  himself  diligently  in  reforming  the 
laws,  and  doing  good  to  the  country  ; and  in  every 
possible  way  tried  to  gain  the  affections  of  the 
people,  and  make  them  feel  that  he  was  their  friend 
and  benefactor.  Amongst  other  things,  he  caused 
Carthage  and  Corinth  to  be  rebuilt  near  their  former 
sites,  and  it  was  to  the  persons  who  afterwards  lived 
in  Corinth  that  St.  Paul  wrote  his  epistles. 

2.  The  suspicions  of  the  Romans  as  to  Caesar’s 
wish  of  being  a king,  were  first  caused  by  some  in- 
stances of  great  pride;  such  as  his  sitting  down 
when  the  senate  and  chief  magistrates  went  to  him 
to  confer  upon  him  some  peculiar  honors.  He  re- 
fused a crown  indeed,  which  his  friend  Mark  An- 
tony, who  knew  what  he  was  longing  for,  contrived 
to  offer  him,  upon  the  occasion  of  some  great  pub- 
lic festival;  but  it  was  evident  that  he  was  not  dis- 
pleased at  its  being  shown  that  he  might  have  one 
if  he  chose  it. 

3.  This  notion  of  Caesar's  desiring  to  be  king 
made  many  persons  extremely  angry;  for  they  be- 
lived  that  the  old  form  of  government  was  best,  and 
that  kings  were  only  tyrants.  Marcus  Brutus  es- 
pecially was  of  this  opinion.  He  had  received  great 
favors  from  Caesar  since  the  battle  of  Pharsalia,  but 
they  did  not  prevent  him  from  seeing  and  hating  his 
ambition;  and  at  length,  contrary  to  all  his  nat- 
ural affection  and  respect,  he  entered  into  a plot  to 
take  away  his  life.  Sixty  persons  were  joined  with 
him;  one  of  the  chief  of  whom  was  Cassius,  a man 
whose  chief  motive  for  conspiring  against  Caesar 
was  a personal  feeling  of  ill-will,  because  an  office 
which  he  desired  had  been  refused  him.  Cassius 
it  was  who  first  persuaded  Brutus  that  it  would  be 


i78 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


for  the  good  of  the  country  if  Caesar  were  killed. 
Many  of  the  other  conspirators  had,  like  him,  taken 
offence  at  some  neglect  or  fancied  unkindness;  and 
perhaps  there  was  not  one,  except  Brutus,  who 
really  wished  for  the  freedom  of  the  country,  though 
all  pretended  that  it  was  their  only  inducement  to 
commit  such  a crime. 

4.  The  plot  was  managed  very  carefully,  and  an 
opportunity  was  soon  found  for  putting  it  into  exe- 
cution. A meeting  of  the  senate  was  fixed  for  the 
15th,  or — as  that  day  of  the  month  was  called  in  the 
Roman  calendar — the  Ides  of  March.  At  this  meet- 
ing it  was  to  be  publicly  proposed  that  Caesar 
should  be  made  king  of  Italy,  a prophecy  having 
declared  that  none  but  a king  should  conquer  Par- 
thia,  which  country  th'e  Romans  were  about  to  in- 
vade to  avenge  the  death  of  Crassus;  and  the  inten- 
tion of  the  conspirators  was  to  murder  Caesar  upon 
this  occasion.  Although  every  thing  was  managed 
so  secretly,  Portia,  the  wife  of  Brutus,  and  the 
daughter  of  Cato,  soon  perceived  that  something 
was  weighing  on  her  husband’s  mind,  and  as  he  did 
not  tell  her  what  it  was,  she  supposed  he  must  be 
afraid  that  she  had  not  strength  and  courage  to 
bear  it.  Being  a person  of  great  firmness  and  de- 
votedly fond  of  Brutus,  she  determined  to  give 
him  a proof  that  she  could  keep  a secret,  what- 
ever pain  it  might  cost  her.  She  therefore  gave 
herself  a wound  with  a dagger,  which  brought  on  a 
fever;  but  Portia  bore  all  the  suffering  so  quietly 
that  no  one  knew  of  her  illness  until  it  became 
dangerous.  Then  she  informed  her  husband  what 
she  had  done,  and  why;  and  Brutus,  who  admired 
her  courage,  and  respected  her  sense  and  judgment, 
trusted  her  with  the  secret  of  the  plot.  Portia 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


179 


seems  to  have  had  as  little  idea  as  Brutus  that  what 
he  intended  to  do  was  wrong,  for  she  allowed  him 
to  follow  his  own  course  without  attempting  to  dis- 
suade him  from  it. 

5.  Caesar,  in  the  mean  time,  was  not  left  without 
some  warning  of  his  danger.  Spurina,  a famous 
augur,  had  cautioned  him  to  beware  of  the  Ides  of 
March;  and  on  the  morning  of  the  meeting  of  the 
assembly,  his  wife,  Calpurnia,  entreated  him  not  to 
go  to  it,  as  she  had  that  night  been  troubled  with  a 
frightful  dream  which  warned  her  he  would  be  mur- 
dered. Caesar  was  inclined  to  listen;  but  one  of  the 
conspirators,  hearing  that  there  was  some  delay, 
hastened  to  his  house,  and  laughing  at  Calpurnia’s 
fears,  persuaded  him  to  keep  to  his  purpose. 

6.  As  he  passed  through  the  street,  the  augur 
Spurina  met  him.  Caesar  smiled  at  him,  and  said: — 
“Spurina,  the  Ides  of  March  are  come.’’  “Yes,” 
replied  the  augur;  “ but  they  are  not  past.”  Again 
he  was  stopped:  a paper  was  thrust  into  his  hand 
containing  a full  account  of  the  conspiracy;  but 
there  was  no  time  then  to  read  it,  and  Caesar  passed 
on.  The  conspirators  were  waiting  his  approach  in 
some  alarm,  for  they  had  reason  to  think  that  the 
plot  was  discovered.  A senator  came  up  to  one  of 
them,  named  Casca,  and  said: — “You  have  kept 
your  secret  from  me,  but  Brutus  has  told  me  the 
whole.”  This  was  a startling  speech,  but  it  meant 
only  that  the  senator  knew  the  means  by  which 
Casca  had  lately  become  rich.  Another  senator 
whispered  to  Brutus  and  Cassius: — “ My  wishes 
are  with  you;  but  delay  not,  for  the  affair  is  now  no 
secret;  ” and  the  same  person  went  up  to  Caesar 
as  soon  as  he  reached  the  door  of  the  great  hall, 
and  talked  to  him  for  some  time.  Caesar  appeared 


i8o 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


to  listen  very  attentively,  and  the  conspirators  then 
were  nearly  certain  they  were  betrayed;  but  at  last 
the  senator  kissed  Caesar’s  hand,  which  was  a mark 
that  he  had  been  making  a petition,  and  retired. 
Caesar  entered  the  hall  and  stood  near  Pompey’s 
statue,  which  he  had  himself  caused  to  be  erected. 
One  of  the  conspirators  drew  Mark  Antony  aside, 
that  he  might  not  be  at  hand  to  defend  his  friend. 
The  others  gathered  round  Caesar,  urging  a request 
for  the  recall  of  one  of  their  friends,  Metellus  Cim- 
ber’s  brother,  from  exile.  Caesar  would  not  agree 
to  it,  and  Cimber  caught  his  robe.  This  was  the 
signal  agreed  upon.  Casca,  who  stood  behind, 
drew  his  dagger  and  stabbed  him  in  the  back,  and 
the  next  instant  the  whole  body  of  conspirators  sur- 
rounded him  with  their  weapons  drawn.  Caesar  de- 
fended himself  in  desperation,  till  he  caught  sight 
of  Brutus.  The  agony  of  discovering  ingratitude 
was  worse  than  the  pain  of  death;  he  no  longer 
struggled,  but  faintly  exclaiming,  “ And  thou,  too, 
Brutus — my  son!  ” covered  his  face  with  his  robe, 
and  fell,  pierced  with  three-and-twenty  wounds,  at 
the  foot  of  his  rival’s  statue. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

THE  STATE  OF  ROME  AFTER  THE  DEATH  OF  C.ESAR. 
THE  SECOND  TRIUMVIRATE  FORMED,  B.  C.  43. 

B C.  43.  I-  The  death  of  Caesar  is  strange  and 
perplexing  to  us,  when  we  think  that 
Brutus  was  concerned  in  it,  for  Brutus  certainly 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


1 8 1 


was  an  honorable,  unselfish  man:  but  we  must  bear 
in  mind  that  Brutus  had  no  knowledge  of  what  is 
called  an  overruling  Providence;  that  is,  the  power 
of  a Being,  who  orders  all  for  good,  and  in  whom 
we  must  patiently  trust  when  we  cannot  help  our- 
selves without  doing  wrong.  When  Brutus  saw 
things,  as  he  thought,  going  on  badly,  he  believed 
it  his  duty  to  set  them  right  at  all  hazards.  He  had 
never  learned  that  it  is  a sin  to  do  evil  that  good 
may  come,  and  no  doubt  satisfied  himself  by  think- 
ing that  it  was  far  better  to  kill  Caesar  than  to  allow 
him  to  be  a tyrant.  Persons  often  deceive  them- 
selves in  the  same  kind  of  way  now,  doing  what 
they  call  a little  harm  in  order  to  gain  a great  ad- 
vantage; and  they  have  not  the  excuse  that  Bru- 
tus had. 

2.  Caesar  was  no  sooner  dead  than  Brutus  stood 
forth  in  the  senate  house,  intending  to  explain  the 
reasons  of  his  conduct.  But  no  one  stayed  to  listen 
to  him.  The  senators  hastily  left  the  hall,  Caesar's 
friends  retired  to  their  houses,  the  common  people 
shut  up  their  shops,  and  the  whole  city  was  in  con- 
fusion. Brutus,  Cassius,  and  their  companions, 
marched  through  the  streets  with  daggers  drawn, 
and  then  retired  to  the  capitol,  where  they 
thought  it  would  be  better  to  remain  till  they  could 
see  something  more  of  the  true  feeling  of  the  people 
as  to  the  death  of  Caesar. 

3.  The  next  day  Brutus  came  down  again  into 
the  forum,  and  made  a speech  to  the  citizens;  but  he 
could  discover  by  their  sad  faces  that  they  were  not 
pleased  at  what  had  been  done,  for  Caesar  had  been 
very  kind  to  them.  Still  no  one  proposed  to  pun- 
ish him  or  his  friends;  indeed  it  was  not  at  all  de- 
cided whether  they  had  done  well  or  ill.  The  sena- 

13 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


182 

tors  met  together  to  determine  whether  Caesar  was 
a tyrant  or  not,  and  the  point  was  only  set  at  rest  by 
Cicero,  who  persuaded  them  to  leave  the  question 
undecided,  and  to  decree  that  all  which  had  been 
done  should  be  left,  and  neither  punished  nor  re- 
warded. When  this  was  agreed  upon,  the  conspira- 
tors came  into  the  city,  and  Cassius  supped  with 
Antony,  and  Brutus  with  Lepidus,  one  of  Caesar’s 
greatest  friends,  as  a sign  of  their  all  being  recon- 
ciled. 

4.  But  this  appearance  of  peace  was  only  a de- 
lusion. It  was  decreed  by  the  senate  that  Caesar 
should  have  a splendid  funeral  and  his  will  be  read 
publicly;  and  a strong  feeling  against  Brutus  and 
the  other  conspirators  was  excited  when  the  con- 
tents of  this  will  were  made  known.  The  people 
then  saw  plainly  that  Caesar  had  in  reality  a great 
wish  to  be  their  benefactor;  for  his  gardens  were 
left  for  the  use  of  the  public  and  a sum  of  money 
was  to  be  bestowed  upon  every  poor  man.  The 
greatest  portion  of  his  property  was  bequeathed  to 
his  great  nephew,  Octavius,  who  afterwards  became 
so  famous  under  the  name  of  Augustus;  but  Decimus 
Brutus,  one  of  the  conspirators,  and  Mark  Antony, 
were  to  succeed  to  the  inheritance  if  Octavius  died 
without  heirs. 

5.  It  was  on  the  occasion  of  Caesar’s  funeral  that 
Mark  Antony  endeavored  to  increase  the  ill-feeling 
against  the  conspirators  which  the  will  had  caused. 
Caesar’s  body  was  then  brought  into  the  forum,  laid 
upon  an  ivory  bed,  and  covered  with  cloth  of  gold 
and  purple;  and  Mark  Antony,,  according  to  the 
usual  forms  made  a speech  over  it.  He  reminded 
the  people  of  Caesar’s  valor,  mercy,  and  generosity; 
of  the  kindness  shown  them  in  his  will;  and  the 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


183 


benefits  which  he  had  conferred  upon  his  country: 
and  lifting  up  the  robe  which  covered  his  body, 
pointed  to  the  wounds,  as  if  they  would  best  call  for 
vengeance  upon  the  murderers.  This  sight  excited 
the  citizens  almost  to  madness.  They  burst  forth 
into  cries  and  threats  of  revenge,  seized  upon  the 
benches  and  chairs  of  the  magistrates,  and  the  coun- 
ters and  tables  from  the  shops,  and  raising  a funeral 
pile,  placed  the  body  of  Caesar  upon  it,  and  burnt  it, 
as  was  the  Roman  custom;  whilst  many  ladies  of 
rank  threw  their  jewels  and  ornaments  into  the  fire, 
to  mark  their  respect  and  regret. 

6.  In  the  midst  of  this  confusion,  Brutus  and  his 
friends  left  the  city,  perceiving  that  it  was  no  longer 
safe  to  remain  there.  Brutus  proceeded  to  Mace- 
donia, which  was  a province  granted  him  by  Caesar; 
and  Cassius  to  Syria,  which  was  his  province  in 
the  same  way.  But  we  must  leave  them  for  the 
present. 

7.  Antony  was  now  all-powerful,  but  he  used  his 
authority  in  such  a way  as  to  make  every  one  dissat- 
isfied. Caesar’s  papers  were  in  his  possession,  and 
he  pretended  that  what  he  did  was  according  to 
Caesar’s  wish;  but  in  fact  he  upset  all  the  old  ar- 
rangements, and  by  the  help  of  Lepidus,  decided 
upon  making  changes  in  the  government  of  nearly 
all  the  provinces.  Cicero  was  the  only  person  who 
dared  to  find  fault  with  him.  The  speeches  in  which 
he  complained  of  his  conduct  in  the  senate,  were 
called  Philippics,  and  are  very  celebrated. 

8.  Antony  however  had  a worse  enemy  to  dread 
than  Cicero,  one  whom  as  yet  he  had  scarcely 
thought  of.  This  was  Octavius,  Caesar’s  great 
nephew  and  adopted  son,  to  whom,  as  was  said, 
he  left  a large  portion  of  his  property.  Octavius 


184  HISTORY  OF  ROME. 

was  scarcely  nineteen  at  the  time  of  his  uncle’s 
death.  He  had  served  under  him,  and  Caesar  had 
always  felt  a great  affection  for  him,  and  no  doubt 
had  discovered  his  superior  talents;  for  the  conduct 
of  Octavius  at  this  period  shows  that  he  must  have 
been  very  much  more  prudent  and  wise  than  persons 
of  his  age  in  general.  Octavius  came  to  Rome  as 
soon  as  he  heard  of  Caesar’s  murder,  to  take  pos- 
session of  his  property;  but  to  his  great  surprise  he 
found  that  this  would  be  a difficult  matter.  Antony 
had  seized  upon  it  and  used  it  to  pay  his  own  debts, 
and  when  Octavius  applied  for  an  account  of  it,  he 
could  get  neither  information  nor  assistance. 

9.  The  promises  made  to  the  people  in  Caesar’s 
will  had  besides  never  been  kept,  and  great  discon- 
tent had  arisen  in  consequence.  The  effect  of  this 
injustice  and  dishonesty  naturally  was  to  make 
Octavius  and  Antony  deadly  enemies.  Octavius 
assured  the  people  they  should  have  their 
rights,  and  even  paid  what  was  required  out  of  his 
own  property;  and  this  gained  him  great  favor. 
Cicero  also  took  his  part,  and  continued  his  Philip- 
pics against  Antony  very  vehemently;  and  as  great 
quarrels  at  that  time  between  persons  of  exalted 
rank  generally  brought  on  war,  it  was  soon  clear 
that  Antony  and  Octavius  would  shortly  be  in  arms 
against  each  other.  Antony  began  to  collect  his 
forces,  under  the  pretence  of  taking  possession  of 
the  province  of  Cisalpine  Gaul,  which  was  gov- 
erned by  one  of  the  conspirators,  Decimus  Brutus; 
but  Octavius  knew  that  these  troops  might  be 
quickly  turned  against  him;  and  having  Cicero  on 
his  side  to  make  speeches  in  his  favor,  and  persuade 
the  senate  to  do  what  he  wished,  he  induced  them 
to  declare  Antony  a public  enemy;  whilst  an  army 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  1 8 5 

was  actually  given  to  himself  to  support  Decimus 
Brutus  against  him. 

io.  This  was  a very  strange  mixture  of  persons 
and  parties;  but  every  one  seems  to  have  been 
thinking  of  himself,  and  not  to  have  cared  whom  he 
joined  with,  as  long  as  it  was  for  his  own  interest. 
Octavius  was  Antony’s  enemy  for  some  time,  and 
war  was  carried  on  vigorously  in  the  north  of  Italy. 
Antony  was  defeated;  and  Octavius,  having  by  this 
time  gained  a great  name,  forced  the  senate  to  make 
him  consul,  though  he  was  so  young,  that  at  first 
they  quite  laughed  at  the  request.  A law  was  imme- 
diately passed,  declaring  that  all  the  murderers  of 
Caesar  were  outlaws;  and  they  were  in  consequence 
driven  from  one  place  to  another  in  fear  of  their 
lives,  till  at  length  they  were  nearly  all,  except 
Brutus  and  Cassius,  killed.  After  this,  Octavius, 
seeing  that  the  senate  were  becoming  jealous  of  his 
power,  thought  it  might  be  more  for  his  advantage 
to  take  part  with  Antony.  Accordingly  he  pro- 
posed to  make  peace  with  him,  and  to  meet  him 
and  his  friend  Lepidus  at  a place  appointed,  where 
they  might  settle  how  they  should  together  manage 
the  affairs  of  the  state  for  the  future.  This  meeting 
took  place  in  the  year  b.  c.  43,  and  the  arrangement 
which  was  then  made  was  like  that  which  had  be- 
before  been  agreed  upon  by  Pompey,  Crassus,  and 
Julius  Caesar. 

ir.  Antony,  Octavius,  and  Lepidus  formed  a sec- 
ond triumvirate.  They  were  to  rule  together,  to 
support  each  other,  to  divide  the  government  of  the 
provinces  as  they  chose;  and,  to  gain  the  favor  of 
the  soldiers  by  giving  them  the  lands  of  the  citizens. 

12.  Then  they  took  the  whole  power  of  the  state 
into  their  own  hands;  and,  in  order  to  be  certain  of 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


1 86 

putting  their  plans  in  execution,  determined  to  kill 
all  their  enemies  by  proscription.  A list  was  made 
of  the  persons  to  be  murdered.  Each  had  private 
enemies  and  private  friends;  but  this  made  no  dif- 
ference. The  persons  mentioned  were  all  to  be 
killed:  and  Lepidus  gave  up  his  brother;  Antony 
his  uncle;  and  Octavius  his  friend,  Cicero. 

13.  After  this  most  horrible  agreement  they  set 
off  for  Rome.  Their  soldiers  were  ordered  to  take 
possession  of  the  city,  and  one  of  the  tribunes  was 
forced  to  propose  to  the  people  that  the  agreement 
just  formed,  between  Octavius,  Antony,  and  Lepi- 
dus, should  be  made  lawful.  No  one  ventured  to 
stop  the  proceeding;  and,  as  soon  as  the  trium- 
virate were  established  as  the  governors  of  the  state, 
they  began  their  cruel  work  of  destroying  their  ene- 
mies. 

14.  A proclamation  was  set  forth,  threatening  all 
who  protected  the  proscribed  with  death,  and  for- 
bidding their  relations  to  show  sorrow  for  their  loss; 
and  the  frightful  scenes  which  followed  can  scarcely 
be  described.  Rewards  were  offered  to  those  who 
would  discover  where  the  proscribed  were  hidden; 
and  slaves  gave  up  their  masters,  and  even  children 
their  parents,  for  the  sake  of  money.  Many  fled 
from  the  city,  and  died  from  want;  the  streets  were 
filled  with  dead  bodies,  and  it  seemed  as  if  Rome 
was  doomed  to  destruction. 

15.  Cicero  was  at  his  villa  at  Tusculum  when  the 
list  of  the  persons  proscribed  was  published.  He 
tried  to  escape;  but,  being  very  unwell,  was  obliged 
to  be  carried  in  a litter,  and  his  pursuers  reached 
him  before  he  could  arrive  at  the  seacoast.  The 
slaves  would  have  defended  him,  but  he  would  not 
allow  them  to  do  so,  and  when  the  horsemen  came 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


18/ 


up,  he  quietly  stretched  out  his  head,  and  at  one 
blow  it  was  severed  from  his  body;  and  his  right 
hand,  with  which  he  had  written  the  Philippics,  was 
also  cut  off  at  Antony’s  desire.  It  is  said  that 
Antony  gazed  on  the  head  with  delight,  and  sent  it 
to  his  wife  Fulvia,  who  was  even  more  cruel  than 
himself,  and  pierced  the  tongue  with  a golden  bod- 
kin, which  she  wore  in  her  hair,  in  revenge  for  the 
speeches  that  Cicero  had  made  against  her  husband. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

BRUTUS  AND  CASSIUS, 

DEFEATED  AT  PHILIPPI,  B.  C.  4 2. 

B.  C.  42.  1.  Whilst  all  these  events  were  pass- 

ing in  Italy,  Brutus  and  Cassius  had 
been  engaged  in  defending  their  provinces  of  Mace- 
donia and  Syria  against  the  governors  who  were 
sent  by  Antony  to  take  possession  of  them:  but 
when  the  triumvirate  was  established  they  met  at 
Sardis,  in  Asia  Minor,  and  agreed  to  join  their 
forces  and  prepare  for  regular  war.  Large  armies 
were  collected  by  them,  and  they  were  much  assisted 
by  Sextus  Pompeius,  the  son  of  Pompey  the  Great, 
who  had  ventured  from  his  place  of  concealment 
when  he  heard  of  the  death  of  Caesar,  and  had  made 
himself  master  of  Sicily,  the  island  from  which  the 
Romans  procured  their  corn,  and  which  was  there- 
fore a very  important  place. 

2.  Brutus  must  by  this  time  have  been  very  un- 


1 88 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


happy.  He  had  tried  to  order  events  for  himself 
and  every  thing  had  failed.  The  death  of  Caesar 
had  brought  no  good  to  his  country,  for  the  trium- 
virs were  much  worse  tyrants  than  he  could  ever 
have  feared  Caesar  would  be.  There  were  also  trials 
of  another  kind  for  him.  Cassius  and  he  were  not 
such  friends  as  formerly.  Cassius  was  an  ava- 
ricious, low-minded  man;  and  Brutus  could  not 
bear  the  manner  in  which  he  extorted  money  from 
the  people  under  him.  They  had  quarrelled  upon 
this  subject,  and  though  they  were  reconciled  again, 
it  could  not  be  forgotten  that  unkind  words  had 
passed  between  them;  whilst  to  increase  the  bitter- 
ness of  every  other  sorrow,  Portia,  whom  Brutus  so 
dearly  loved,  died  whilst  he  was  absent  from  her; 
broken-hearted  at  the  calamities  which  had  befallen 
her  country.  t 

3.  Brutus  had  now  nothing  to  cheer  him  but  his 
own  thoughts,  which  could  only  have  been  sad  ones, 
and  an  occurrence,  related  as  having  taken  place  at 
this  time,  increased  the  weight  upon  his  spirits. 
As  he  was  sitting  one  night  alone  in  his  tent,  musing 
upon  the  troubled  state  of  public  affairs,  he  sud- 
denly perceived  a gigantic  figure  standing  before 
him.  Brutus  was  startled  at  the  sight,  but  still 
kept  his  presence  of  mind:  “What  art  thou?”  he 
said;  “and  for  what  purpose  art  thou  come?”  “ I 
am  thine  evil  genius,  Brutus,”  replied  the  phantom; 
“ we  shall  meet  again  at  Philippi.”  “ I will  see  thee 
there,”  answered  Brutus,  boldly;  and  the  figure 
vanished.  This  strange  circumstance  made  a deep 
impression  upon  the  mind  of  Brutus,  though  he  en- 
deavored to  reason  himself  out  of  it,  especially  as 
he  was  then  vtpon  the  point  of  crossing  over  to 
Macedonia,  and  shortly  afterwards  was  forced  to 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


189 


face  Antony  and  Octavius  at  Philippi.  The  battle 
was  begun  against  the  wish  of  Brutus;  but  his  sol- 
diers were  impatient,  and  would  not  be  restrained. 
Octavius  was  ill,  and  Brutus  was  victorious  over  the 
general  who  commanded  in  his  stead.  But  Cassius 
was  not  so  fortunate;  his  troops  were  routed  by 
Antony.  Brutus  saw  it,  and  sent  him  aid;  but  Cas- 
sius mistook  the  soldiers  for  part  of  Antony’s  army, 
and  as  they  drew  near  gave  up  his  cause  for  lost, 
and  calling  to  a freedman,  ordered  him  to  run  his 
sword  through  his  body;  and  so,  as  he  supposed, 
end  all  his  troubles.  The  loss  of  Cassius  was  a ter- 
rible blow  for  Brutus.  He  forgot  his  faults,  and 
bitterly  lamented  him;  but  there  was  still  some  hope 
left,  and  a few  days  afterwards  he  was  persuaded  to 
risk  another  battle. 

4.  This  also  took  place  at  Philippi,  in  the  year 
e.  c.  42,  and  again,  it  is  said,  the  spectre  appeared 
to  him.  If  it  were  so,  the  prophecy  of  evil  being 
at  hand  was  truly  fulfilled.  The  following  day  his 
army  was  completely  defeated,  and  Brutus  galloped 
from  the  field  of  battle.  He  was  pursued,  but  one 
of  his  friends  gave  himself  up  to  secure  his  safety; 
and  pretending  that  he  was  Brutus,  was  taken  be- 
fore Antony.  The  deceit  was  instantly  discovered, 
but  Antony  forgave  it.  Brutus,  in  the  mean  while, 
had  fully  made  up  his  mind  as  to  what  he  should  do. 
He  saw  that  there  was  now  no  prospect  of  victory, 
and  resolved  to  die  rather  than  fall  alive  into  the 
hands  of  his  enemies.  He  spoke  cheerfully  to  the 
persons  who  remained  with  him,  and  said  that  he 
hoped  Antony  and  Octavius  would  be  satisfied  with 
his  death,  and  not  pursue  their  revenge  any  further; 
and  then,  retiring  to  a little  distance,  entreated  his 
friend  Strato  to  give  him  the  last  proof  of  affection 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


i go 

by  killing  him.  Strato  hesitated;  but  Brutus  pressed 
him  so  earnestly  that  at  last  he  consented,  and  pre- 
senting the  point  of  his  sword,  Brutus  threw  himself 
upon  it  and  expired. 


CHAPTER  XLV 

THE  DIVISION  OF  THE  EMPIRE  BY  THE  SECOND 
TRIUMVIRATE. 

ANTONY  IN  ASIA  AND  EGYPT,  B.  C.  41. 

B.  C.  41.  !■  After  the  battles  at  Philippi,  An- 

tony, Octavius,  and  Lepidus  divided  the 
government  of  the  Roman  empire  amongst  them. 
Antony  went  to  Asia,  Lepidus  to  Africa,  and  Octa- 
vius remained  at  Rome.  But  it  was  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  they  would  long  remain  friendly  to  each 
other,  and  the  history  of  the  period  which  followed 
is  nothing  but  an  account  of  quarrels  arising  from 
ambition,  selfishness,  and  luxury.  Octavius  was 
resolutely  bent  upon  making  himself  the  sole  head 
of  the  empire,  and  the  conduct  of  Antony  and  Lepi- 
dus was  such  as  to  put  very  few  hinderances  in  his 
way.  Lepidus  was  an  old  man,  and  when  he  re- 
tired to  his  province  persons  began  to  forget  him; 
and  Antony,  instead  of  devoting  his  time  to  govern- 
ing properly,  seemed  to  have  lost  every  wish  but 
that  of  living  a life  of  ease  and  pleasure.  The  cause 
of  this  was  the  influence  of  Cleopatra,  the  beautiful 
queen  of  Egypt.  Antony  summoned  her  to  appear 
before  him  in  Asia,  and  answer  for  having  assisted 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  1 9 1 

Brutus  and  Cassius;  but  on  her  arrival  she  charmed 
him  as  before  she  had  delighted  Csesar,  and  An- 
tony left  his  province  and  went  with  her  to  Egypt, 
where  he  remained  month  after  month,  entirely  neg- 
lecting his  government,  and  becoming  odious  and 
contemptible  to  every  one  who  possessed  any  sense 
or  right  feeling. 

2.  His  wife  Fulvia  endeavored  to  recall  him  to 
Italy.  She  excited  a commotion  in  his  absence  by 
making  some  of  the  poor  people  rebel  because  they 
were  suffering  from  famine,  and  the  insolent  con- 
duct of  the  soldiers  who  were  settled  amongst  them; 
and  then  she  sent  to  Antony  to  come  and  assist  her; 
but  Antony  only  blamed  her  for  creating  such  dis- 
turbances, and  went  on  just  the  same  as  before. 
He  was  afterwards  induced  to  exert  himself  when 
a war  broke  out  in  Parthia  and  Syria,  and  jihere  was 
an  idea,  at  that  time,  that  he  would  give  some  assist- 
ance to  Fulvia;  but  before  he  could  reach  her  the 
insurrection  was  at  an  end,  and  Fulvia  was  obliged 
to  leave  Italy,  and  soon  afterwards  died.  Octavius 
was  then  induced  to  overlook  what  had  passed,  and 
proposed  that  Antony  should  marry  Octavia,  his 
sister,  a lady  celebrated  for  her  virtue  and  beauty, 
and  much  too  good  to  be  the  wife  of  such  a bad 
man;  but  who  was  forced  to  marry  Antony  in  order 
to  please  her  brother,  and  because  it  was  thought 
desirable  that  the  two  chief  rulers  in  the  state  should 
be  connected  by  marriage. 

3.  Octavius  and  Antony  now  joined  their  forces 
and  prepared  to  attack  Sextus  Pompeius,  who  still 
had  great  power  at  sea  and  did  not  entirely  submit 
to  them.  They  soon  however  made  peace  with  him, 
and  Antony  went  back  to  Rome  and  lived  for  some 
time  a quiet  life  with  Octavia,  as  if  he  had  been  a 


ig2 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


private  person,  whilst  his  legates  made  war  for  him 
in  Parthia.  The  peace  with  Sextus  Pompeius  did 
not  last  very  long,  and  when  war  broke  out  again, 
it  caused  a great  disagreement  between  Antony  and 
Octavius.  Octavius  being  in  need  of  assistance  sent 
for  Antony  to  come  and  help  him;  but  on  his  ar- 
rival declared  that  he  did  not  want  him.  Antony 
was  so  angry  at  this,  that,  if  it  had  not  been  for 
Octavia,  there  would  probably  have  been  a violent 
quarrel  between  them.  She,  however,  persuaded 
them  to  be  friends,  and  they  agreed  to  help  each 
other  in  their  different  wars,  and  to  continue  the  tri- 
umvirate for  five  years  longer.  It  is  very  weari- 
some to  read  of  these  perpetual  disputes,  but  there 
is  nothing  else  to  be  expected  from  persons  who 
join  together  selfishly.  Octavius  went  on  steadily, 
aiming  at  his  one  great  object,  and  every  thing 
which  came  in  his  way  he  set  aside.  For  this  pur- 
pose he  contrived  to  bribe  the  soldiers  of  Lepidus, 
who  were  assisting  him  against  Sextus  Pompeius,  to 
come  over  to  his  camp,  and  thus  oblige  Lepidus  to 
give  up  his  authority.  The  soldiers  did  so;  and 
Lepidus,  without  making  any  effort  to  regain  his 
power,  went  to  Rome,  where  Octavius  made  him 
the  chief  pontiff,  or  priest — an  office  which  he  held 
till  he  died.  Sextus  Pompeius,  being  about  the 
same  time  defeated,  fled  to  Syria,  where  he  was 
killed  by  Antony’s  command;  and  there  was  now, 
therefore,  no  rival  left  for  Octavius  to  dread,  except 
Antony  himself. 

4.  Herod  the  Great,  king  of  Judea,  in  whose 
reign  our  Blessed  Saviour  was  born,  took  part  in 
these  wars.  He  was  first  governor  of  Galilee,  and 
sided  with  Brutus  and  Cassius;  but,  after  the  battles 
at  Philippi,  he  offered  to  submit  himself  to  Antony, 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


193 


who  pardoned  him  because  his  father  had  been  a 
great  friend  to  Caesar.  Afterwards,  when  there  was 
a war  in  Parthia,  the  Parthians  invaded  Judea,  and 
Herod  was  obliged  to  leave  his  country  and  take 
refuge  with  Cleopatra  in  Egypt.  From  thence  he 
went  to  Rome,  where  Octavius  was  so  delighted 
with  his  manners  and  appearance,  that  he  made 
him  king  of  Judea. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  ACTIUM,  B.  C.  3!. 

B.  C.  31.  !•  Antony  carried  on  the  Parthian  war 

himself,  whilst  Octavius  was  occupied 
in  taking  away  the  authority  of  Lepidus  and  destroy- 
ing Sextus  Pompeius.  He  was  very  unsuccessful, 
but  this  did  not  grieve  him  much,  for  his  only  wish 
was  to  be  again  in  Egypt  with  Cleopatra;  and,  as 
soon  as  he  could  possibly  arrange  his  affairs,  he  set 
off  for  Alexandria. 

2.  His  wife,  Octavia,  who  had  always  behaved  in 
the  most  excellent  manner,  did  every  thing  she 
could  to  help  him  when  he  was  engaged  in  his  wars, 
and  collected  troops  for  him,  and  provided  them 
with  money  and  clothes;  but  Antony  entirely  neg- 
lected her,  and  sent  her  word  that  he  did  not  wish 
her  to  follow  him,  as  she  had  intended;  and  at  last 
he  declared  that  she  should  noR  be  his  wife  any 
longer.  Accordingly  he  divorced  her,  and  imme- 
diately afterwards  married  Cleopatra. 


194 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


3.  After  this  great  insult,  there  could  of  course 
be  no  peace  between  Octavius  and  Antony.  Octa- 
vius declared  war  against  Cleopatra  and  her  hus- 
band; and  Antony  was  in  the  greatest  danger.  But 
flattery  and  power,  and  the  love  of  pleasure,  must  by 
this  time  have  completely  turned  his  head;  for  he 
behaved  not  only  like  a wicked  man,  but  a fool — - 
caring  only  for  amusement  whilst  every  one  else 
was  in  alarm. 

4.  Cleopatra  encouraged  him  in  all  his  absurdity 
and  extravagance.  Their  mode  of  life,  their  dinners 
and  entertainments,  were  the  most  splendid  that 
could  be  imagined;  indeed,  they  seemed  to  live  prin- 
cipally for  the  pleasure  of  eating  and  drinking,  and 
indulging  themselves  in  every  wish  and  fancy.  On 
one  occasion  it  is  said  that  Cleopatra  dissolved  a 
pearl  of  immense  value  in  vinegar,  and  drank  it  off 
from  a mere  whim.  But  in  the  midst  of  this  luxury 
Antony  was  not  at  ease.  Though  he  called  Cleo- 
patra a goddess,  and  allowed  her  to  have  her  way 
in  every  thing,  he  was  still  afraid  of  her,  and  at  one 
time  thought  she  was  intending  to  poison  him. 

5.  And,  whilst  all  this  was  going  on,  Octavius 
was  steadily  following  his  own  plans,  and  bent  upon 
their  destruction.  In  the  spring  of  the  year,  b.  c.  31, 
he  assembled  a great  fleet,  and  an  army  also,  and 
Antony  and  Cleopatra  took  measures  for  opposing 
him.  Antony  had  still  immense  power:  he  com- 
manded all  the  provinces  from  the  river  Euphrates 
and  Armenia  to  the  Ionian  Sea  and  Illyricum,  a 
country  opposite  Italy,  to  the  northwest  of  Greece. 
Six  kings,  subject  to  Rome,  followed  him  with  their 
armies  in  person;  and  three  others,  amongst  whom 
was  Herod,  king  of  Judea,  sent  forces  to  assist  him. 
Octavius  had  no  foreign  princes  in  his  army;  but 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  195 

his  fleet  was  better  than  Antony’s,  more  fit  for 
service,  and  manned  with  better  sailors. 

6.  This  was  a peculiar  advantage,  for  the  first 
great  battle  between  him  and  Antony  was  fought  at 
sea,  at  Actium,  on  the  coast  of  Acarnania,  in  a bay 
which  is  now  known  as  the  Gulf  of  Arta. 

7.  At  the  beginning,  the  victory  was  doubtful; 
but  Antony  was  doomed  to  be  punished  by  the  very 
person  who  had  led  him  to  forget  all  his  duties. 
Cleopatra  was  present  at  the  battle,  and  when  she 
feared  that  it  would  be  lost,  she  sailed  away  with 
sixty  of  her  Egyptian  ships. 

8.  Antony  heard  of  her  desertion  with  shame  and 
amazement;  yet  he  followed  her,  and  left  his  men 
to  continue  the  battle  as  they  could  without  him. 
Upon  overtaking  Cleopatra’s  vessel  he  was  received 
on  board;  but  his  vexation  was  so  great  that  he 
would  not  take  any  notice  of  her,  and,  placing  him- 
self at  the  stern  of  the  vessel,  sat  with  his  elbows 
resting  on  his  knees,  and  his  head  on  his  hands,  and 
in  this  state  continued  for  a long  time.  Cleopatra’s 
attendants  at  last  persuaded  him  to  see  her,  and  An- 
tony, who  was  really  as  fond  of  her  as  ever,  con- 
sented to  forgive  her. 

9.  The  loss  of  the  battle  of  Actium  decided  An- 
tony’s fate.  He  tried  to  raise  fresh  troops,  but  in 
vain;  and  Cleopatra,  who  saw  that  their  power  was 
coming  to  an  end,  would  willingly  have  fled  from 
Egypt,  and  even  formed  a scheme  for  transporting 
all  her  treasures  to  India,  and  founding  a newempire 
there;  but  she  was  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  the 
generals  of  Octavius,  and  it  was  impossible  to  es- 
cape. As  a last  hope  she  sent  privately  to  Octavius, 
offering  to  give  up  her  crown  if  only  he  would  pro- 
tect herself  and  her  children.  The  answer  of  Octa- 


196 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


vius  was,  that  Cleopatra  might  be  spared  if  she 
would  deliver  up  Antony.  This  was  asking  more 
than  Cleopatra  could  grant,  for  she  still  loved  An- 
tony; but  she  gave  secret  orders  that  her  fleet 
should  go  over  to  Octavius,  hoping  in  this  way  to 
appease  him. 

10.  When  Octavius  approached  Alexandria,  Cleo- 
patra shut  herself  up,  with  her  attendants  and  treas- 
ures, in  a tower  which  she  had  caused  to  be  built 
near  one  of  the  great  temples.  Antony,  who  had 
seen  reason  to  suspect  that  she  was  betraying  him, 
went  out  to  meet  his  enemy,  and  was  then  quite  con- 
vinced that  Cleopatra  was  treacherous,  for  all  his 
troops  deserted  him.  Overcome  with  grief,  and  ut- 
terly hopeless,  he  returned  to  the  city,  intending  to 
revenge  himself  by  killing  Cleopatra;  but  before  he 
could  reach  her  the  news  was  brought  that  she  was 
dead. 

11.  All  his  affection  for  her  came  back  then  in  an 
instant:  he  declared  that  he  would  not  long  live 
without  her,  and  ordered  his  slave  Eros  to  draw  his 
sword  and  kill  him.  The  faithful  slave  drew  his 
sword  as  he  was  commanded,  but  plunged  it  into 
his  own  breast,  and  fell  dead  at  his  master’s  feet. 
Still  Antony  would  not  be  turned  from  his  purpose; 
he  took  up  the  sword  and  stabbed  himself,  but  the 
wound  did  not  kill  him;  and  whilst  he  was  lying  on 
his  couch,  faint  from  loss  of  blood,  he  was  told  that 
what  he  had  heard  of  Cleopatra  was  not  true,  for 
that  she  was  still  living.  Immediately  he  entreated 
his  servants  to  carry  him  to  her.  They  brought  him 
to  the  foot  of  the  tower,  and  caused  him  to  be  drawn 
up  to  the  top  by  ropes.  He  was  laid  upon  a bed, 
and  Cleopatra  stood  by  him  in  great  grief;  but  it 
was  in  vain  to  think  of  saving  his  life,  and,  after 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  197 

recommending  her  to  seek  for  mercy  from  Octavius, 
Mark  Antony  expired. 

12.  Octavius,  it  is  said,  lamented  the  death  of  An- 
tony; yet  he  showed  little  mercy  to  his  widow. 
Cleopatra  thought  herself  secure  in  her  tower;  but 
one  of  the  officers  of  Octavius  contrived  to  enter  it 
on  one  side  by  means  of  a ladder,  whilst  she  was  en- 
gaged on  the  other,  and  so  took  her  prisoner.  She 
was  treated,  however,  with  considerable  respect,  and 
was  allowed  to  bury  Antony  with  great  honors;  and 
for  a little  while  she  seemed  comforted  by  having  to 
arrange  the  procession  for  the  funeral,  and  by  the 
care  of  embalming  her  husband’s  body  according  to 
the  Egyptian  custom;  but  when  this  was  over  she 
became  ill.  The  thought  which  preyed  upon  her 
mind  was,  that  Octavius  would  carry  her  to  Rome 
and  exhibit  her  in  triumph.--  She  sent  for  him, 
hoping  to  win  his  favor,  and  gave  him  a list  of  her 
treasures.  One  of  her  servants  hinted  that  the  list 
was  not  correct;  upon-  which  Cleopatra  fell  into  a 
violent  passion,  started  up  and  seized  him  by  the 
hair,  and  gave  him  several  blows  on  the  face;  and 
at  the  same  time  told  Octavius  that,  if  she  had  kept 
back  any  thing,  it  was  only  in  order  to  make  a pres- 
ent of  it  to  his  wife,  Livia,  and  his  sister,  Octavia. 
Octavius,  however,  was  not  to  be  won  over  by  any 
flattery.  He  treated  her  very  politely,  but  kept  his 
own  purpose,  and  she  soon  learned  that  he  was  bent 
upon  carrying  her  to  Rome,  as  she  had  feared.  Cle- 
opatra then  resolved  to  die.  She  begged  permission 
to  visit  the  tomb  of  Antony;  and  the  request  being 
granted,  she  went  thither  with  two  of  her  attendants, 
Charmian  and  Iras,  weeping  most  bitterly,  and  de- 
claring her  full  intention  not  to  survive  him  longer. 
After  placing  flowers  upon  the  tomb,  she  went  back 
14 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


198 

to  the  tower,  dressed  herself  splendidly,  and  partook 
of  a rich  banquet.  In  the  midst  of  it  a slave  brought 
her  a basket  of  figs,  which  she  took  and  carried  with 
her  to  her  chamber,  where  she  wrote  a note  and  sent 
it  to  Octavius. 

13.  Shortly  afterwards  an  officer  arrived  from 
Octavius.  The  first  thing  he  saw  when  he  entered 
the  room,  was  Cleopatra,  dressed  in  her  royal  robes, 
stretched  lifeless  upon  a golden  couch.  She  had 
killed  herself  by  means  of  an  asp,  a kind  of  serpent, 
which  was  brought  to  her  in  the  basket  of  figs,  and 
the  sting  of  which  was  deadly.  Iras  was  lying  dead 
at  the  feet  of  her  mistress;  and  Charmian,  scarcely 
alive,  was  placing  a crown  upon  her  head.  “ Was 
this  well  done,  Charmian?”  inquired  the  messenger 
of  Octavius.  “Yes,”  replied  Charmian;  “it  is  well 
done,  for  such  a death  befits  a glorious  queen.” 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

AUGUSTUS  CAESAR, 

FIRST  EMPEROR  OF  ROME,  B.  C.  27. 

B.  C.  27.  I-  The  history  of  the  Republic  of  Rome 
ends  with  the  death  of  Antony.  From 
that  time  the  Romans  were  governed  by  emperors, 
the  first  of  whom  was  Octavius,  or  Augustus,  as  he 
was  called  by  the  senate  on  his  return  from  Egypt. 
This  power,  however,  he  only  accepted  by  degrees; 
at  first  it  was  given  him  for  ten  years,  then  five  more 
were  added,  and  so  on,  til!  at  length  he  became  em- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


I99 


peror  for  life,  and  was  allowed  to  leave  the  title  to 
his  successor.  This  was  done  with  the  full  consent 
of  all  persons  of  sense  and  thought,  for  they  were 
weary  of  the  perpetual  wars  which  had  been  going 
on  for  so  many  years,  and  saw  that  the  people  had 
become  so  turbulent  and  the  nobles  so  luxurious, 
that  their  only  hope  of  quietness  was  in  giving  all 
the  authority  to  one  person.  Every  possible  honor, 
therefore,  was  paid  to  Augustus;  three  splendid  tri- 
umphs were  allowed  him,  and  one  of  the  months  of 
the  year,  August,  was  called  after  his  name.  Yet, 
if  the  persons  who  rejoiced  when  Augustus  Caesar 
became  emperor  of  Rome  could  have  looked  into 
future  years,  and  known  who  were  to  succeed  him 
on  his  throne,  they  would  have  felt  very  differently. 
Many  of  the  Roman  emperors  were  the  greatest 
monsters  of  wickedness  that  were  ever  heard  of; 
others,  who  were  less  wicked,  were  weak  and  silly, 
and  brought  great  miseries  upon  their  country;  and 
the  few  who  really  tried  to  do  right  were  placed  in 
such  difficulty  from  the  crimes,  and  mistakes,  and 
bad  examples  of  the  emperors  who  reigned  before 
them,  that  they  could  do  very  little  to  serve  their 
country. 

2.  The  really  important  events  of  these  times  be- 
long to  a very  different  history — the  history  of  the 
Christian  Church.  It  was  in  the  reign  of  Augustus 
Caesar  that  our  blessed  Saviour  was  born. 

3.  When  we  are  writing  and  thinking  of  common 
things  and  merely  human  actions,  it  seems  scarcely 
reverent  to  dwell  much  upon  such  a sacred  subject; 
but  it  might  perhaps  be  well  for  us  to  bring  before 
our  minds,  for  a few  moments,  the  facts  which  actu- 
ally took  place  at  this  time:  to  imagine  the  haughty, 
ambitious  monarch — who  had  suffered  hundreds  of 


200 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


his  fellow-citizens  to  be  murdered  in  cool  blood,  and 
had  sacrificed  thousands  and  thousands  in  his  selfish 
wars — seated  upon  a splendid  throne,  flattered  by  all 
who  approached  him,  and  obeyed  almost  by  the 
whole  known  world:  whilst  He  who  created  the 
heavens  and  the  earth  condescended  to  be  laid  in  a 
manger  at  Bethlehem.  These  are  very  wonderful 
things  to  think  of;  and  the  history  of  Rome  must 
always  be  most  interesting  and  important,  because 
it  is  so  mixed  up  with  the  history  of  our  blessed 
Lord  and  of  His  Church. 

4.  But  we  must  return  to  the  account  of  what 
happened  at  Rome  after  Augustus  Caesar  became 
emperor.  From  this  time  the  character  of  Augustus 
seems  to  have  changed:  he  was  merciful  and  forgiv- 
ing, instead  of  cruel  and  revengeful,  and  appeared  to 
give  all  his  thoughts  to  the  improvement  of  the  laws, 
the  erection  of  splendid  buildings,  and  the  encour- 
agement of  clever  men.  The  Augustan  Age,  as  it  is 
called,  has  been  celebrated  ever  since  as  a time  when 
learning,  and  poetry,  and  accomplishments,  were  es- 
pecially valued.  Augustus  had  a great  friend  named 
Maecenas,  who  was  the  patron  of  all  the  mer  of  talent 
in  Italy.  He  was  an  indolent  person,  fond  of  eating 
and  drinking;  but  taking  a great  deal  of  pleasure 
in  all  things  which  were  splendid  and  elegant:  and 
if  persons  were  really  clever,  however  humble  they 
might  be  by  birth,  they  were  sure  to  receive  help 
from  Maecenas.  Virgil,  Horace,  and  Ovid,  were 
the  most  famous  poets  of  the  age.  Cornelius  Nepos 
wrote  biographies  or  accounts  of  the  lives  of  differ- 
ent persons:  and  Livy  was  a distinguished  his- 
torian. 

5.  But  although  Augustus  thus  employed  himself 
for  the  good  of  his  people,  his  reign  was  not  entirely 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


201 


peaceful.  There  were  several  conspiracies  formed 
against  him;  and  he  was  obliged  to  carry  on  wars  in 
Spain,  Africa,  Arabia,  Egypt,  Gaul,  and  Germany. 
The  conspiracies  were  all  discovered,  and  the  leaders 
sentenced  to  death.  In  the  wars,  he  and  his  gener- 
als were  for  the  most  part  victorious;  but  on  one  oc- 
casion, when  there  was  an  insurrection  in  Germany, 
the  Roman  general,  Varus,  was  completely  defeated, 
and  his  soldiers  were  cut  to  pieces.  Augustus  was 
so  grieved  when  he  heard  it,  that  he  was  often  heard 
to  cry  out  afterwards,  “ Varus,  Varus,  give  me  back 
my  legions!”  Some  historians  have  even  said  that 
he  never  recovered  his  former  quietness  of  mind. 

6.  But,  in  his  latter  days,  Augustus  had  causes 
for  sorrow  which  were  more  likely  to  make  him 
miserable  than  even  the  loss  of  an  army.  He  was 
very  unhappy  in  his  own  family.  He  had  been  mar- 
ried three  times:  his  first  wife  was  named  Claudia; 
the  second,  Scribonia;  and  the  third,  Livia  Drusilla. 
Augustus  and  Scribonia  had  one  daughter,  Julia; 
and  Livia  had  two  sons  before  she  married  Augus- 
tus— Tiberius  and  Drusus.  Livia  was  a very  ambi- 
tious, bad  person,  and  had  a great  wish  that  her 
children  should  succeed  to  the  throne.  Drusus, 
however,  died  as  he  was  engaged  in  a war  in  Ger- 
many; and  afterwards  it  was  proposed  that  Tiberius 
should  marry  Julia,  who  was  then  a widow,  having 
been  married  twice  before,  and  being  left  with  two 
children,  of  whom  Augustus  was  very  fond.  But 
these  arrangements  turned  out  very  badly.  Julia 
was  a dreadfully  wicked  woman,  and  Tiberius  did 
not  like  her  at  all;  and  he  was  besides  very  jealous 
of  her  two  sons,  whom  he  feared  would  succeed  to 
the  throne;  so  he  left  her  and  went  to  live  by  him- 
self. Julia  became  more  and  more  wicked  after  this. 


202 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


and  at  last  Augustus  was  obliged  to  exile  her.  To 
add  to  this  great  grief,  her  two  boys  died,  and  thus 
he  was  left  childless,  and  entirely  under  the  power 
of  his  haughty  wife  Livia,  who  ruled  every  thing 
after  her  own  will. 

7.  The  end  of  the  emperor’s  reign  was,  from 
these  circumstances,  very  melancholy.  His  health 
began  to  sink,  and  about  the  middle  of  August, 
a.  d.  14,  it  was  evident  both  to  himself  and  to  others 
that  his  death  was  near.  Such  a time  must  be  awful 
to  all,  and  we  might  at  first  suppose  that  even  the 
heathen  emperor  would  then  have  felt  that  all  the 
glories  of  earth  were  worthless.  But  the  love  of  ad- 
miration, which  had  been  the  great  motive  of  all  that 
Augustus  said  and  did  during  the  course  of  a long 
life,  never  left  him;  and  calling  his  friends  around 
him  as  he  lay  upon  his  dying  bed,  he  asked  whether 
they  thought  he  had  played  his  part  in  life  well? 
“ If  so,”  he  added,  “ give  me  your  applause.”  Then 
sinking  in  the  arms  of  Livia  he  expired,  at  the  age 
of  seventy. 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

TIBERIUS  C^SAR, 

SECOND  EMPEROR  OF  ROME,  A.  D.  14. 

A.  D.  14.  !•  The  history  of  the  emperors  of 

Rome  will  be  given  but  shortly.  There 
is  very  little  to  gain  from  them.  Tiberius  succeeded 
Augustus  at  the  age  of  fifty-six.  In  his  early  life 
he  had  shown  talent  and  energy;  but  the  chief 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


203 


points  in  his  character  really  were  deceit  and  sus- 
picion. No  one,  however,  knew  how  wicked  and 
cruel  he  really  was  till  he  came  to  the  throne. 

2.  The  person  whom  he  most  hated  was  his 
nephew  Germanicus,  the  son  of  his  brother  Drusus, 
a very  high-principled,  excellent  young  man,  and 
extremely  beloved  by  the  people.  Tiberius  had 
been  forced  to  adopt  him  as  his  son  during  the  life- 
time of  Augustus,  and  it  was  thought  he  would  suc- 
ceed him;  and  this  was  quite  sufficient  to  make 
Tiberius  his  enemy.  The  soldiers  under  Germani- 
cus were  so  devoted  to  him  that  they  offered  to 
make  him  emperor  instead  of  his  uncle,  but  he 
would  not  listen  to  them;  indeed,  all  his  actions 
showed  that  he  was  unselfish  and  without  ambition. 
He  suffered,  however,  from  the  jealousy  of  Tiberius, 
and  died  in  a strange  and  sudden  way  at  Antioch,  in 
Syria,  whilst  he  was  employed  in  settling  matters 
in  the  East;  and  every  one  believed  that  he  was 
poisoned  by  the  governor  of  the  province,  who  had 
been  placed  there  by  Tiberius  on  purpose  to  thwart 
him.  Tiberius  was  the  only  person  who  did  not 
seem  sorry  for  his  death.  His  conduct  became 
much  worse  after  the  death  of  Germanicus.  He  had 
no  foreign  wars  to  occupy  him,  with  the  exception 
of  a few  insurrections,  which  his  generals  quelled 
without  much  difficulty;  so  that  he  was  able  to 
give  up  all  his  time  to  his  affairs  at  home,  where 
he  became  a complete  tyrant.  His  mother  Livia 
was  the  only  person  for  whom  he  had  the  least  real 
regard;  but  he  was  very  much  governed  by  Sejanus, 
the  prefect  or  chief  of  his  guards,  who  was  a man 
quite  as  wicked  as  himself. 

3.  Sejanus  did  not  in  the  least  care  for  Tiberius; 
he  only  wished  to  succeed  him  on  the  throne,  and 


204 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


therefore  persuaded  the  emperor,  after  he  had  reigned 
about  eleven  years,  to  retire  to  the  island  of  Ca- 
prese,  in  the  Bay  of  Naples,  and  give  up  the  govern- 
ment to  him.  Sejanus  then  had  full  power,  and 
murdered  every  one  who  was  at  all  likely  to  come 
between  him  and  the  crown  which  he  so  much  de- 
sired. The  only  son  of  Tiberius  was  poisoned;  the 
wife  of  Germanicus,  two  of  his  children,  and  a great 
many  of  his  friends  were  put  to  death;  and  his 
cruelty  was  so  great  that  many  persons  killed  them- 
selves to  avoid  falling  into  his  hands.  Caligula,  the 
youngest  son  of  Germanicus,  escaped,  and  went  to 
Capreae,  and  was  afterwards  appointed  by  Tiberius 
to  be  his  successor. 

4.  All  this  time  Tiberius  shut  himself  up  in  his 
island,  and  took  no  thought  of  anything  but  his  own 
pleasure.  Every  one  hated  and  despised  him  for 
his  crimes,  and  feared  him  because  he  was  always 
suspecting  evil. 

5.  Sejanus  was  at  last  punished  by  him.  Tiberius 
found  out  that  he  was  wishing  to  be  made  emperor, 
and  accused  him  of  high  treason,  and  the  senate 
condemned  him  to  death.  As  he  was  led  away  to 
execution  the  people  insulted  and  cursed  him;  and 
after  he  was  strangled  by  the  executioner,  they 
dragged  his  body  away  and  cast  it  into  the  Tiber. 

6.  When  Sejanus  was  dead,  Tiberius  gave  still 
further  vent  to  his  rage  by  other  executions.  Some 
persons  were  killed  for  having  been  the  friends  of 
Sejanus;  others  for  no  cause,  but  upon  false  accusa- 
tions. One  old  woman  was  put  to  death  because 
she  lamented  the  execution  of  her  son;  another 
man  suffered  because  he  had  written  a tragedy, 
which  the  emperor  thought  was  intended  to  find 
fault  with  himself.  The  prisons  were  crowded. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


205 


At  length,  Tiberius  gave  orders  that  all  the  accused 
should  be  killed  at  once.  The  misery -which  this 
command  caused  cannot  be  described;  but,  although 
the  unhappy  people  who  suffered  were  very 
wretched,  there  was  one  person  more  so — the  em- 
peror himself.  His  life  was  a perpetual  torment 
from  suspicion;  his  health  became  very  bad;  and 
in  one  of  his  letters  to  the  senate,  he  declared 
that  the  gods  and  goddesses  had  so  afflicted  and 
confounded  him,  that  he  knew  not  what  or  how  to 
write. 

7.  As  old  age  crept  upon  him  he  became  more 
and  more  miserable,  and  in  the  end  fell  into  a kind 
of  stupor,  from  which  it  was  thought  he  would 
never  be  aroused. 

8.  Caligula  was  then  proclaimed  emperor;  but, 
to  his  great  horror  and  surprise,  Tiberius  soon  after- 
wards recovered.  Caligula  naturally  thought  that 
he  should  be  put  to  death  for  what  he  had  done. 
In  his  fear  he  consulted  with  Macro,  one  of  the  at- 
tendants of  Tiberius,  and  they  agreed  that  the  un- 
happy old  man  should  be  killed.  Accordingly, 
Macro  went  to  his  chamber  and  suffocated  him  with 
beds  and  pillows. 

9.  The  history  of  such  great  crimes  shocks  us  the 
more  when  we  connect  them  with  sacred  events; 
yet,  for  one  reason,  it  may  be  desirable.  When  we 
see  how  horribly  sinful  men  may  become,  we  can 
more  fully  understand  how  much  an  atonement  and 
an  example  were  needed. 

10.  It  was  whilst  Tiberius  was  living  at  Capreae, 
and  Sejanus  ruling  at  Rome,  that  our  blessed 
Saviour  was  crucified.  Pontius  Pilate  wrote  an  ac- 
count of  his  miracles,  and  death,  and  resurrection, 
to  Tiberius;  and  the  emperor  proposed  to  the  Ro- 


206 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


man  senate  that  He  should  be  reckoned  amongst  the 
number  of  the  heathen  gods:  but  they  would  not 
consent  to  it. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

CAIUS  CALIGULA, 

THIRD  EMPEROR  OF  ROME,  A.  D.  37. 

A.  D.  37.  I-  It  is  not  pleasant  to  think  of  Ca- 
ligula as  the  son  of  the  noble-minded 
Germanicus.  The  history  of  his  reign,  except  at  the 
very  beginning,  is  as  bad,  if  not  worse,  than  that  of 
Tiberius.  The  chief  difference  between  them  seems 
to  have  been  that  Tiberius  was  a gloomy,  suspicious, 
cruel  monster;  and  Caligula  a wild,  frantic,  but 
equally  cruel  madman.  For  the  first  few  months  of 
his  reign  he  did  well,  and  made  many  wise  altera- 
tions in  the  management  of  public  affairs,  and 
showed  considerable  generosity;  but,  after  that,  it  is 
said  that  he  had  an  illness  which  destroyed  his 
reason.  We  may  hope  that  this  was  really  the  case, 
for  the  stories  related  of  him  are  so  absurd  as  well 
as  so  wicked,  that  we  cannot  think  of  them  as  the 
actions  of  a person  of  sound  mind.  Amongst  other 
things,  it  is  said  that  he  made  his  favorite  horse 
consul,  and  built  for  it  a marble  stable  and  an  ivory 
manger.  He  also  provided  it  with  a house,  and 
furniture,  and  kitchen,  that  its  visitors  might  be 
treated  with  proper  respect;  and  sometimes  he 
would  invite  this  horse  to  dine  with  him,  and  give 
him  gilt  oats  and  wine  in  a golden  cup.  He  used 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


20  7 


to  declare  himself  a god  and  command  the  people 
to  worship  him.  He  pretended  to  make  war,  and 
marched  over  the  Alps  into  Gaul,  saying  that  he 
was  going  to  subdue  the  Germans.  When  he  came 
to  the  river  Rhine,  he  ordered  a body  of  Germans, 
who  were  his  guards,  to  hide  themselves  on  the 
other  side,  and  then  he  himself  sat  down  to  dinner; 
but  in  the  middle  of  it  he  jumped  up  in  a great 
hurry,  crossed  the  river,  cut  down  some  trees,  and 
returned  back  again  with  the  Germans  who  had 
been  hidden,  and  whom  he  said  were  his  prisoners. 
At  another  time  he  set  out  to  invade  Britain;  but 
after  having  sailed  a little  way  out  to  sea  he  came 
back,  ordered  his  soldiers  to  collect  some  shells 
from  the  beach,  which  he  called  the  spoils  of  the 
ocean,  and  never  went  any  further. 

2.  His  extravagance  was  beyond  every  thing  that 
can  be  imagined.  We  are  told  that  he  sometimes 
caused  jewels  to  be  dissolved  in  the  sauce  which  he 
ate.  He  also  ordered  ships  to  be  built  of  cedar- 
wood,  and  adorned  with  gold  and  jewels;  the  sails 
were  made  of  silk,  and  fruit-trees  were  planted  upon 
the  decks,  under  which  Caligula-  used  to  dine.  And 
merely  because  some  astrologer  had  said  that  there 
was  as  much  chance  of  Caligula’s  being  emperor  as 
of  his  walking  across  a certain  arm  of  the  sea,  three 
miles  and  a half  broad,  he  caused  a bridge  of  ships 
to  be  built  across  it,  at  an  incredible  expense.  The 
ships  were  placed  in  two  rows,  timber  was  laid  over 
them,  and,  upon  the  timber,  houses  were  built;  and 
then  Caligula  gave  a grand  entertainment  in  honor 
of  what  he  had  done. 

3.  We  might  be  inclined  to  laugh  at  these  things, 
if  it  were  not  that  Caligula  was  as  cruel  as  he  was 
foolish;  but  the  horrors  of  his  reign  are  almost 


20S 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


more  than  we  can  bear  to  read  of.  The  grandson  of 
Tiberius  was  put  to  death,  only  because  it  was  said 
that  he  wished  the  emperor  not  to  recover  from  an 
illness.  Caligula’s  grandmother  and  several  other 
persons  were  commanded  to  destroy  themselves; 
and  being  in  want  of  money  from  his  excessive  ex- 
travagance, he  obtained  it  by  killing  persons,  and 
then  seizing  upon  their  estates.  The  sufferings  of 
these  unfortunate  people  were  quite  an  amusement 
to  him:  indeed,  he  seemed  to  take  delight  in  cruelty, 
for  he  cast  numbers  of  old  and  infirm  persons  to 
wild  beasts,  to  rid  the  state,  as  he  said,  of  useless 
citizens;  and  was  heard  to  wish  that  all  the  Roman 
people  had  but  one  neck,  so  that  he  might  destroy 
them  at  one  blow. 

4.  Caligula’s  tyranny  lasted  for  more  than  three 
years.  Then  a plot  was  formed  against  him,  and 
he  was  murdered  in  his  palace  by  one  of  the  prae- 
torian guards,  assisted  by  other  conspirators,  just 
after  he  had  returned  from  the  exhibition  of  some 
public  games. 

5.  It  may  be  interesting,  before  we  proceed  fur- 
ther, to  know  something  of  the  history  of  Judea, 
and  its  connection  with  the  Roman  empire  after  the 
reign  of  Herod  the  Great. 

6.  Archelaus,  the  son  of  Herod,  succeeded  his 
father,  as  we  read  in  the  second  chapter  of  the  Gos- 
pel of  St.  Matthew,  where  it  is  said,  that  Joseph, 
“ having  heard  that  Archelaus  did  reign  in  Judea 
in  the  room  of  his  father  Herod,”  was  afraid  to  go 
thither  with  our  Saviour  and  his  virgin  mother.  A 
brother  of  Archelaus  however  disputed  his  claim  to 
the  throne,  and  both  appealed  to  Augustus  Csesar, 
who  was  then  emperor,  to  decide  between  them. 
Augustus,  after  considering  the  question,  deter- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


209 


mined  that  Archelaus  should  have  half  the  kingdom, 
and  be  called  an  ethnarch;  and  that  the  remaining 
half  should  be  divided  between  Herod’s  two  other 
sons,  Philip  and  Herod  Antipas,  who  were  to  be 
called  tetrarchs.  This  division  is  referred  to  in  the 
third  chapter  of  St.  Luke’s  Gospel,  which  makes 
mention  of  Herod  the  tetrarch  of  Galilee,  and  his 
brother  Philip,  tetrarch  of  Iturea  and  the  region  of 
Trachonitis.  It  was  this  Herod  Antipas,  the  tetrarch, 
who  put  St.  John  the  Baptist  to  death,  because  he 
said  it  was  not  lawful  for  him  to  marry  Herodias, 
his  brother  Philip’s  wife,  and  before  whom  our 
blessed  Lord  vouchsafed  to  stand  whilst  the  tetrarch 
and  his  men  of  war  set  him  at  naught  and  mocked 
him. 

7.  In  this  way  Palestine  was  governed  while 
Archelaus  lived:  but  when  he  was  dead,  his  half  of 
the  country  was  . made  a Roman  province,  over 
which  we  know  that  Pontius  Pilate  was  at  one  time 
a governor;  so  that  there  were  Jewish  tetrarchs  over 
Galilee  and  Trachonitis,  and  a Roman  governor 
over  the  rest  of  the  land.  But  when  Caligula  came 
to  the  throne  there  was  a further  change. 

8.  It  happened  that  a young  man  named  Herod 
Agrippa,  who  was  descended  from  Herod  the  Great, 
was  living  at  Rome  during  the  reign  of  Tiberius,  at 
which  period  he  was  one  of  Caligula’s  great  friends. 
Tiberius  disliked  him,  and  put  him  in  prison;  but, 
when  Caligula  became  emperor,  he  released  him, 
and  resolved  to  give  him  some  great  proof  of  his 
friendship.  Philip  the  tetrarch  was  now  dead;  and 
Caligula  proposed  to  give  his  government  to  Herod 
Agrippa,  and  allow  him  to  have  the  title  of  king. 
When  the  news  of  this  change  came  to  Herod  Anti- 
pas the  tetrarch,  it  made  him  angry  and  ambitious, 


210 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


and  this  bad  feeling  was  much  increased  by  the  ad- 
vice of  Herodias,  whom  he  had  kept  for  his  wife, 
against  the  warning  of  St.  John  the  Baptist.  She 
told  him  that  if  Caligula  had  made  a person  like 
Herod  Agrippa  a king,  he  would  certainly  make  him 
one  if  he  would  only  ask  the  favor,  and  she  per- 
suaded him  to  go  to  Caligula  with  the  request. 

g.  It  seems  as  if  the  punishment  of  Herod  for  his 
sins  was  especially  sent  to  him  through  the  person 
whom  he  had  done  so  wrong  in  marrying;  for  Ca- 
ligula was  very  angry  at  his  presumption,  and,  in- 
stead of  making  him  a king,  took  away  his  govern- 
ment and  gave  it  to  Herod  Agrippa,  and  banished 
Herod.  Antipas  to  Spain,  where  he  died. 

10.  Punishment  also  came  upon  Pontius  Pilate. 
He  was  accused  of  injustice  and  oppression,  and  Ca- 
ligula caused  him  to  be  removed  from  his  province 
and  banished  to  Gaul,  where  it  is  said  that  he  after- 
wards destroyed  himself. 

11.  Caligula  endeavored  to  make  the  Jews  place 
his  own  statue  in  their  temple,  that  it  might  be 
worshipped;  but  the  people  resisted,  and  before  the 
emperor  could  take  measures  to  force  them  to  obey 
him  he  was  murdered. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


21  I 


CHAPTER  L. 

CLAUDIUS  C/ESAR, 

FOURTH  EMPEROR  OF  ROME,  A.  D.  41. 

A.  D.  41.  1.  Caligula  was  succeeded  by  his 

uncle  Claudius,  who  was  a brother  of 
Germanicus.  Claudius  had  hidden  himself  from 
fear  at  the  time, of  Caligula’s  murder;  but  the  con- 
spirators dragged  him  forth,  and  proclaimed  him 
emperor.  He  was  fifty-one  years  of  age  when  he  be- 
gan to  reign;  his  health  was  very  bad,  and  his  mind 
was  weak.  Yet  there  is  reason  to  think  that  he  was 
mercifully  and  amiably  inclined;  though,  unfortu- 
nately, he  was  entirely  governed  by  the  persons 
about  him,  who  were  hard-hearted  and  cruel.  Clau- 
dius was  fond  of  building,  and  used  also  to  employ 
himself  in  writing  history.  His  books  have  all  been 
lost,  but  it  is  not  supposed  that  they  were  very 
clever. 

2.  The  principal  war  carried  on  in  this  reign  was 
in  Britain.  No  Roman  army  had  invaded  Britain 
since  the  time  of  Julius  Caesar,  until  Claudius  was 
persuaded  to  undertake  the  conquest  of  the  island. 
He  went  there  himself,  but  did  not  remain  long;  for 
his  disposition  was  not  very  warlike.  His  generals — ■ 
Vespasian  and  his  son  Titus,  who  were  both  after- 
wards emperors — were  left  to  complete  what  he  had 
begun.  They  are  said  to  have  fought  bloody  battles, 
and  to  have  taken  possession  of  the  Isle  of  Wight, 
and  of  several  towns. 

3.  Claudius  was  married  four  times.  His  third 
wife,  Messalina,  was  extremely  wicked,  and  made 
Claudius  do  a great  many  wrong  and  most  cruel 


2 12 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


actions;  and  at  length  she  behaved  so  badly,  that 
he  sentenced  her  to  be  put  to  death.  He  was  then 
induced  to  marry  Agrippina,  the  daughter  of  Ger- 
manicus — a person  more  wicked,  if  possible,  than 
Messalina.  Agrippina  had  been  married  before,  and 
had  one  son,  whose  name  was  Nero.  She  had  set 
her  heart  upon  this  son’s  succeeding  to  the  throne, 
and  in  order  to  gain  her  point,  she  persuaded  Clau- 
dius to  put  aside  his  own  son,  Britannicus,  and 
adopt  Nero.  Claudius,  however,  did  not  like  Agrip- 
pina’s schemes,  though  he  was  obliged  to  submit 
to  them;  and  when  Agrippina  discovered  this,  she 
formed  a plot  against  his  life,  and  by  the  help  of  two 
other  persons  poisoned  him,  after  he  had  reigned 
about  thirteen  years. 

4.  Claudius  showed  much  favor  to  Herod  Agrip- 
pa, king  of  Judea;  but  Herod  did  not  long  enjoy  his 
grandeur.  He  died  after  a short  reign. 

5.  The  history  of  his  horrible  death- is  given  in 
the  book  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  He  left  one 
son,  named,  like  himself,  Agrippa;  who  did  not 
succeed  at  once  to  all  his  father’s  dominions,  for  he 
was  very  young,  and  Claudius  chose  to  make  Judea 
again  a Roman  province.  When  Agrippa  grew  up, 
however,  Claudius  made  him  king  over  part  of  Ju- 
dea, and  sent  Felix  to  be  governor  over  another 
part.  This  will  explain  to  us  a difficulty  in  the 
book  of  the  Acts,  when  we  hear  of  a Roman  govern- 
or and  also  of  a king.  At  first  it  does  not  seem 
easy  to  understand  how  they  could  both  be  ruling 
at  the  same  time. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


213 


CHAPTER  LI. 

NERO, 

FIFTH  EMPEROR  OF  ROME,  A.  D.  54. 

A.  D.  54.  1.  The  name  of  the  emperor  Nero,  who 

succeeded  Claudius,  always  makes  us 
think  of  the  most  dreadful  vice  and  cruelty;  and  yet 
Nero  was  not  wicked  (or  at  least  no  one  believed 
him  to  be  so)  at  the  beginning  of  his  reign.  For 
five  years  he  governed  the  empire  well,  and  suffered 
himself  to  be  guided  by  Seneca,  his  tutor,  and  Bur- 
rhus, the  prefect  of  the  praetorian  guards,  who  were 
both  sensible  men.  Seneca,  indeed,  is  famed  as  one 
of  the  wisest  of  heathens:  his  books  can  be  read 
with  profit,  even  now;  for  he  had  great  knowledge 
of  religion,  and  a strong  belief  in  a life  after  death. 
It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  he  could  ever  have  been 
the  tutor  of  such  a monster  as  Nero  proved  himself 
to  be;  but  the  fact  shows  us  how  much  more  power- 
ful example  is  than  words.  Nero  was  taught  well, 
but  his  mother  and  his  relations  were  wicked,  and 
the  sight  of  their  conduct  must,  we  may  imagine, 
have  done  away  with  the  good  effect  of  his  tutor’s 
instructions. 

2.  Nero’s  first  great  crime  was  caused  by  jeal- 
ousy of  his  brother  Britannicus,  whom  he  had  sup- 
planted. He  was  afraid  that  Britannicus  might 
raise  a party  against  him,  and  therefore  ordered 
him  to  be  poisoned.  After  this  his  true  character 
showed  itself.  Though  his  mother,  Agrippina,  had 
been  the  means  of  his  obtaining  the  crown,  he  hated 
her  because  she  interfered  with  his  authority,  and 
determined  to  rid  himself  of  her.  For  this  purpose 

15 


214 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


he  caused  her  to  be  taken  out  to  sea  in  a boat,  which 
was  especially  contrived  to  fall  to  pieces.  Agrip- 
pina saved  herself  by  swimming,  but  her  unnatural 
son  was  still  determined  to  destroy  her,  and  she  was 
assassinated  by  his  command;  and,  it  is  said,  with 
the  consent  of  Seneca  and  Burrhus.  If  it  were  so, 
there  is  no  reason  to  wonder  that  Nero  had  not 
profited  more  by  all  their  good  words.  Nero  re- 
pented of  this  dreadful  crime  very  bitterly,  after  it 
was  committed;  but,  instead  of  amending  his  ways, 
he  only  indulged  himself  the  more  in  riot  and 
drunkenness,  in  order  to  forget  it. 

3.  Burrhus  and  Seneca  soon  saw  that  it  was  out 
of  their  power  to  control  him.  Seneca  went  away 
from  the  court,  and  about  the  same  time  Burrhus 
died;  and  then,  Nero  being  no  longer  under  the 
least  restraint,  gave  free  vent  to  all  his  fancies  and 
inclinations. 

4.  He  sent  away  his  wife,  who  was  a virtuous, 
amiable  woman,  and  married  a very  bad  person, 
named  Poppaea;  and  he  collected  around  him  a 
number  of  the  most  unprincipled  people  that  could 
be  met  with,  who  flattered  him  extravagantly  and 
were  willing  to  do  whatever  he  required. 

5.  His  vanity  was  excessive;  he  fancied  himself 
a great  poet  and  a musician,  and  had  extreme  de- 
light in  chariot  driving,  fancying  that  he  surpassed 
every  one  else,  and  that  all  the  world  would  admire 
him;  and  once  he  took  it  into  his  head  to  travel 
through  Italy  and  Greece,  and  exhibit  his  talents 
in  public.  Wherever  he  went  he  was  applauded; 
for  persons  were  afraid  to  laugh  at  him,  on  account 
of  his  savage  temper:  yet  it  must  have  been  diffi- 
cult not  to  do  so  sometimes,  especially  when,  to 
show  his  strength,  he  caused  a pasteboard  lion  to  be 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  21  5 

brought  on  the  stage  in  a theatre,  and  knocked  it 
down  with  his  club. 

6.  One  of  the  most  noted  events  in  the  reign  of 
Nero,  is  the  burning  of  Rome,  which  lasted  for  six 
days.  Some  persons  seem  to  think  that  the  emperor 
caused  the  city  to  be  set  on  fire  himself;  and  it  is 
said,  that  he  stood  upon  a high  tower,  watching  the 
raging  of  the  flames,  and  would  not  allow  any  one 
to  assist  in  putting  them  out.  The  blame  of  the 
fire  was,  however,  cast  upon  the  Christians,  who 
were,  at  that  time,  increasing  in  number;  and  Nero 
began  to  persecute  them  cruelly.  Some  were  cov- 
ered with  the  skins  of  wild  beasts,  and  then  thrown  to 
dogs  to  be  torn  in  pieces;  some  were  crucified;  oth- 
ers were  wrapped  in  clothes  smeared  with  pitch,  and 
burnt  alive;  and,  at  times,  when  it  was  a dark  night, 
the  city  was  lighted  up  with  the  flames  by  which 
the  Christians  were  killed,  whilst  Nero  amused 
himself  by  seeing  their  sufferings  from  his  garden. 

7.  About  this  time  St.  Paul  and  St.  Peter  both 
came  to  Rome.  St.  Paul  had  been  at  Rome  before, 
as  we  learn  from  the  last  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles.  Although  a prisoner,  he  was  then  allowed 
to  live  in  a hired  house,  and  to  teach  persons  who 
came  to  him;  and  it  has  been  thought  likely  that  he 
was  acquainted  with  Burrhus  and  Seneca;  as  Bur- 
rhus was  the  chief  of  the  praetorian  guards,  and 
Seneca  was  his  great  friend.  We  learn,  besides, 
from  what  St.  Paul  mentions  himself,  that  he  had 
friends  in  the  emperor’s  palace;  for,-  in  writing  to 
the  Philippians,  he  says: — “All  the  saints  salute 
you,  chiefly  they  that  are  of  Caesar’s  household:” 
Caesar  was  a name  given  to  all  the  early  Roman 
emperors.  And  again,  “ My  bonds  in  Christ  are 
made  manifest  in  all  the  palace.” 


2l6 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


8.  This  first  visit  was  about  the  year  of  our  Lord 
58;  the  second  was  eight  years  after.  At  that  time 
also  he  was  made  a prisoner,  but  kept  much  more 
strictly  than  before;  and  no  doubt  he  must  have 
been  well  prepared  for  his  fate:  for,  in  the  second 
epistle  to  St.  Timothy,  written  at  this  period,  he 
speaks  certainly  of  “ the  time  of  his  departure  ” be- 
ing at  hand;  and  says  that  he  had  been  called  upon 
to  make  a defence,  “ when  no  man  stood  with  him, 
but  all  men  forsook  him.” 

9.  He  could  have  had  no  hope  of  escape  when 
others  were  suffering,  and  at  last  the  sentence  was 
pronounced  which  was  to  free  him  from  all  the  trials 
of  life.  It  was  more  merciful  than  that  passed  upon 
St.  Peter,  because  he  was  a Roman  citizen.  St. 
Paul  was  beheaded:  St.  Peter  was  crucified;  but  with 
his  head  downwards,  at  his  own  request. 

10.  It  is  painful  to  turn  from  the  holy  deaths  of 
the  great  Apostles  to  the  life  of  their  persecutor, 
Nero.  Only  a few  more  events  of  his  reign,  how- 
ever, need  be  mentioned.  In  order  to  free  himself 
from  the  suspicion  and  disgrace  of  having  ordered 
the  burning  of  the  city,  he  rebuilt  it  with  great  care. 
The  streets  were  made  wider  and  more  beautiful; 
and  the  mistakes  which  had  been  made  when  it  was 
so  hastily  restored  after  the  invasion  of  the  Gauls, 
were  done  away  with. 

11.  Nero  spared  no  expense  for  his  own  palace. 
It  was  called  the  golden  palace,  from  its  magnifi- 
cence: the  rooms  were  ornamented  with  gold,  and 
silver,  and  precious  stones;  and  it  was  so  large  that 
parks  and  lakes  were  contained  within  the  walls. 
At  the  entrance  there  was  an  enormous  statue  of  the 
emperor,  a hundred  and  twenty  feet  high;  and  the 
principal  hall,  which  was  circular,  had  a roof  that 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


217 


turned  round,  to  imitate  the  movements  of  the 
planets.  Nero’s  subjects  suffered  very  much  from 
his  great  extravagance,  for  he  made  them  pay  large 
sums  of  money  in  consequence;  and  when  his  palace 
was  finished,  he  only  said,  that  now  he  was  lodged 
like  a man. 

1 2.  Soon  after  this,  his  tutor  Seneca  was  accused 
of  joining  in  a conspiracy  against  him,  and  con- 
demned to  death.  Being  allowed,  as  a great  favor, 
to  choose  how  he  would  be  killed,  he  caused  the 
veins  of  his  arm  to  be  opened,  hoping  that  he  should 
bleed  to  death;  but,  as  he  was  an  old  man,  the  blood 
flowed  slowly,  and  his  end  was  hastened  by  his  being 
put  into  a dry  stove  and  suffocated.  His  wife 
would  willingly  have  died  with  him;  but  though  her 
veins  were  opened  likewise,  they  were  afterwards 
bound  up  by  her  servants,  whilst  she  was  fainting, 
and  thus  she  survived  her  husband.  Lucan  the  poet, 
a nephew  of  Seneca’s,  was  also  killed  by  bleeding, 
being  accused  of  the  same  offence  as  his  uncle. 
Both  these  celebrated  persons  showed  great  strength 
of  mind  in  enduring  their  trial.  Seneca  dictated  a 
discourse  to  his  secretary  whilst  the  blood  was  flow- 
ing from  his  veins;  and  Lucan  expired  whilst  he 
was  repeating  some  verses  from  one  of  his  own 
poems,  which  described  a death  such  as  he  was 
called  upon  to  bear. 

13.  After  this  the  empress  Poppsea  died,  in  con- 
sequence of  a cruel  blow  given  her  by  her  husband, 
and  Nero  then  married  another  person;  but  the  end 
of  his  tyranny  was  fast  approaching.  In  the  year 
a.  d.  68  an  insurrection  broke  out  in  Gaul,  and  the 
soldiers,  who  were  stationed  there,  chose  Servius 
Galba,  one  of  their  officers,  for  their  emperor.  Nero 
thought  little  of  this  at  first;  but  when  he  found 


218 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


that  the  praetorian  guards  in  Rome  were  inclined  to 
take  part  with  the  army  in  Gaul,  he  gave  up  his 
cause  for  lost.  Galba  was  proclaimed  at  Rome; 
and  Nero,  in  great  alarm,  fled  from  the  city  to  the 
country-house  of  one  of  his  freedmen.  Here  he 
spent  a day  in  the  most  miserable  state  of  mind; 
not  daring  to  remain  where  he  could  be  seen,  but 
hiding  himself  amongst  brambles  and  .briers,  and 
having  nothing  but  a little  piece  of  brown  bread 
and  some  water  given  him  for  refreshment.  He 
wished  to  kill  himself,  but  he  had  not  courage  until 
some  soldiers  were  coming  to  seize  him:  then  he  set 
a dagger  to  his  throat,  and  contrived  by  the  assist- 
ance of  his  secretary  to  give  himself  a mortal  wound. 
He  reigned  thirteen  years,  and  died  in  the  thirty- 
second  year  of  his  age. 

14.  There  were  some  wars  in  the  reign  of  Nero: 
one  with  the  Parthians;  and  another  in  Britain, 
where  an  insurrection  broke  out  headed  by  Boadicea, 
queen  of  the  tribes  who  inhabited  Norfolk  and  Suf- 
folk. Boadicea  was  conquered,  and  killed  herself  to 
avoid  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Romans.  A third 
war  was  in  Judea  The  Jews,  being  much  oppressed 
by  their  Roman  governors,  rose  in  rebellion  against 
them.  Nero  sent  Vespasian  and  his  son  Titus,  who 
had  formerly  been  so  successful  in  Britain,  to  sub- 
due them;  and  the  war  was  going  on  when  he  died. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


219 


CHAPTER  LII. 

GALBA, 

SIXTH  EMPEROR  OF  ROME,  A.  D.  68. 

A.  D.  68.  !•  The  reign  of  Galba  was  extremely 

short,  lasting  only  about  six  months. 
He  was  an  old  man  when  he  came  to  the  throne,  and 
was  not  liked  because  he  was  suspected  of  being 
fond  of  saving  money,  though  most  probably  he 
only  desired  to  cut  short  the  extravagance  which 
had  been  practised  by  the  emperors  who  went  be- 
fore him.  The  persons  who  had  the  greatest  in- 
fluence over  him  were  three  favorite  servants,  or 
freedmen;  and,  by  their  advice,  he  acted  in  a way 
which  appeared  harsh  and  caused  him  soon  to  be  out 
of  favor  with  his  subjects,  and  especially  with  the 
soldiers. 

2.  Galba  did  not  know  how  much  he  was  dis- 
liked, and  imagined  that  the  great  cause  of  the  gen- 
eral discontent  was  because  he  had  no  heir  to  suc- 
ceed him;  accordingly  he  chose  a young  man  of 
high  character,  Piso  Lucinianus,  and  presented  him 
to  the  soldiers  and  to  the  senate  as  his  adopted  son. 
A sum  of  money  had  been  promised  to  the  prae- 
torian guards,  but  Galba  unfortunately  neglected  to 
fulfil  the  promise,  and  in  consequence  greatly  in- 
creased the  general  ill-will;  and  when  Silvius  Otho, 
who  had  hoped  to  have  been  adopted  himself,  tried 
to  form  a conspiracy  amongst  them  to  dethrone 
Galba,  they  willingly  listened  to  him.  The  plot 
broke  out  six  days  after  the  adoption  of  Lucinianus; 
for  the  soldiers  seized  upon  Otho,  and  declared  him 
emperor.  Galba  determined  to  defend  himself,  but 


220 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


he  was  killed  as  he  was  crossing  the  forum;  and 
Piso  and  many  of  his  other  friends  shared  the  same 


fate. 

A.  D.  69. 

CHAPTER  LIII. 

OTHO, 

SEVENTH  EMPEROR  OF  ROME,  A.  D.  69. 

Otho’s  reign  was  even  shorter  than 
that  of  Galba:  he  was  emperor  only 

for  three  months.  During  that  time  he  showed  a 
better  disposition  than  could  have  been  expected, 
and  seemed  inclined  to  be  just,  and  even  benevolent. 
It  was  now,  however,  the  practice  of  the  soldiers  to 
choose  their  own  rulers;  and  the  legions  in  Ger- 
many, having  received  large  sums  of  money  from 
their  general,  Vitellius,  determined  to  make  him 
emperor  instead  of  Otho.  There  was  a great 
struggle  in  consequence.  Otho  led  an  army  against 
Vitellius,  and  was  defeated;  and,  when  he  found  that 
his  cause  was  hopeless,  he  put  an  end  to  his  own 


life. 

A.  D.  69. 

CHAPTER  LIV. 

VITELLIUS, 

EIGHTH  EMPEROR  OF  ROME,  A.  D 69. 

i.  Vitellius  succeeded  Otho.  His 

character  is  one  of  the  most  disagree- 
able that  we  read  of  in  history.  Eating  was  his  one 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


221 


great  pleasure,  and  the  stories  of  his  gluttony  are 
quite  disgusting.  He  reigned  little  more  than 
eight  months,  and  was  then  dethroned  and  mur- 
dered by  the  soldiers,  who  were  weary  of  his  con- 
temptible conduct,  and  chose  Vespasian,  the  general 
who  was  carrying  on  the  war  in  Judea,  to  take  the 
government  from  him. 

2.  This  short  account  of  the  first  Roman  em- 
perors has  been  given  in  order  to  bring  down  the 
history  of  Rome  to  the  reign  of  Vespasian,  and  the 
great  event  for  which  it  is  remarkable — the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem. 

3.  With  that  we  may  for  the  present  end.  The 
fall  of  Jerusalem  is  an  event  prophesied  by  our 
blessed  Saviour,  as  the  type  or  figure  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  world;  and  in  speaking  of  the  events 
which  followed  it,  a new  subject,  which  cannot  be 
slightly  passed  over,  must  be  introduced — the 
spread  of  Christianity,  and  its  power  over  the  great 
heathen  empire  of  Rome. 

4.  It  has  been  said  that  Vespasian  left  Judea  to 
take  upon  himself  the  government  of  the  empire. 
Titus,  his  son,  remained  to  command  the  Roman 
armies. 

5.  In  both  these  princes  there  is  much  to  be  ad- 
mired. Vespasian  set  himself  earnestly  to  reform 
the  empire  he  had  undertaken  to  rule;  and  Titus 
carried  on  the  war  which  he  had  begun,  with  cour- 
age, skill,  and  mercy. 

6.  The  Jews  made  a brave  defence  against  their 
Roman  conquerors;  but  they  lost  one  battle  after 
another,  and  one  town  after  another,  till  at  length 
only  Jerusalem  was  left.  It  was  a very  strong  city, 
and,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  quarrels  of  the  people 
within,  it  would  have  been  very  difficult  for  any 


222 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


army  from  without  to  take  it.  But  instead  of  join- 
ing against  their  common  enemy,  the  unhappy  Jews 
spent  their  time  and  strength  in  destroying  one  an- 
other. 

7.  It  was  at  the  feast  of  the  Passover,  when  great 
numbers  of  people  were  collected  together,  that 
Titus  undertook  to  besiege  Jerusalem.  He  began 
by  battering  down  the  outer  wall,  and  still,  as  he 
went  on  and  gained  ground,  he  continued  to  offer 
the  Jews  pardon  and  beg  them  to  submit.  But  they 
were  desperately  bent  upon  resisting  him;  and  even 
when  Titus  sent  Josephus,  one  of  their  own  country- 
men, who  had  been  taken  prisoner,  to  entreat  them 
to  yield,  they  would  not  listen  to  him.  At  length, 
Titus  surrounded  the  city  so  completely  that  the 
inhabitants  could  neither  escape  nor  gain  help  from 
any  one  without;  and,  as  their  provisions  began  to 
fail,  their -sufferings  from  famine  became  more  and 
more  dreadful.  Josephus,  who  wrote  a history  of 
the  Jews,  and  particularly  describes  the  last  siege 
of  Jerusalem,  says  that  the  miseries  they  underwent 
were  unspeakable;  but  no  words  can  describe  what 
happened  so  awfully  as  the  prophecy  which  was 
given  in  the  Bible,  many  hundred  years  before,  in 
the  twenty-eighth  chapter  of  the  book  of  Deuteron- 
omy. Every  thing  there  mentioned  was  exactly 
fulfilled. 

8.  The  destruction  of  Jerusalem  was  foretold 
also  by  dreadful  signs  in  the  heavens — chariots,  and 
troops  of  horses,  and  a flaming  sword,  being  seen 
amongst  the  clouds;  but  the  Jews  could  not  be  per- 
suaded to  believe  that  their  ruin  was  so  near,  till  the 
Romans  had  taken  possession  of  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  city,  and  burnt  the  buildings  near  the  temple: 
then  they  were  given  to  desperation,  and  sought 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


223 


refuge  in  the  sacred  edifice;  but  a Roman  soldier 
set  fire  to  a window,  through  which  there  was  a pas- 
sage into  the  temple,  and  in  a short  space  afterwards 
the  whole  was  in  flames.  When  Titus  was  told  what 
had  been  done,  he  left  his  tent,  and  ran  to  the 
temple,  followed  by  his  commanders  and  several 
legions,  and,  calling  to  the  soldiers,  gave  them  a 
signal  to  quench  the  fire.  But  they  did  not  hear 
nor  attend;  for  they  were  furious  with  eagerness  to 
revenge  themselves  for  the  length  of  time  that  their 
enemies  had  withstood  them,  and,  rushing  into  the 
temple,  slew  the  unhappy  Jews  without  mercy,  till 
their  dead  bodies  laid  piled  around  the  altar. 

9.  Even  to  the  last,  Titus  strove  to  restrain  his 
soldiers  and  persuade  them  to  extinguish  the  fire; 
but  a higher  Power  than  his  had  doomed  the  temple 
of  Jerusalem  to  destruction,  and,  in  spite  of  all  his 
efforts,  it  was  burnt  to  the  ground.  The  Roman 
ensigns  were  set  over  against  the  Eastern  Gate,  and 
the  Romans  offered  sacrifices  to  their  false  deities, 
and  gave  praise  to  their  great  commander,  in  the 
sanctuary  of  the  true  God. 

10.  The  fate  of  the  Jews  after  the  fall  of  Jeru- 
salem is  well  known.  Even  in  our  own  days  we  can 
see  how  strictly  the  prophecy  has  been  fulfilled, 
which  said  that  they  should  “ be  led  away  captive 
into  all  nations,”  and  that  “ their  city  should  be 
trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles.” 

11.  Titus  returned  to  Rome  in  triumph,  and  the 
arch  which  was  built  to  commemorate  his  conquest 
is  to  be  seen  at  this  day. 

12.  There  is  much  to  excite  our  interest  in  the 
character  of  Titus,  and  the  change  which  took  place 
in  him  after  he  became  emperor.  Before  that  time 
there  was  reason  to  fear  that  he  would,  like  Caligula 


224 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


or  Nero,  give  way  to  vice  or  extravagance;  but 
when  he  came  to  the  throne,  after  his  father’s  death, 
he  cast  aside  all  his  bad  habits,  and  became  an  ex- 
ample of  humanity  and  goodness. 

13.  It  is  said  of  him,  that,  recollecting  one  night 
that  he  had  done  nothing  during  the  day  to  benefit 
his  subjects  and  friends,  he  exclaimed,  “Alas!  I 
have  lost  a day.” 

14.  Domitian,  his  brother,  a monster  of  wicked- 
ness, succeeded  him.  In  his  reign  the  Christians 
were  cruelly  persecuted. 

15.  Thirty-three  heathen  emperors  reigned  over 
the  Roman  empire  after  Domitian.  Of  these  the 
best  were: — 

Nerva — famed  for  his  gentleness  and  mercy. 

Trajan — a noble,  warlike,  just  prince;  but  a great 
enemy  to  the  Christians. 

Hadrian — who  was  not  so  good  in  his  private 
character,  but  governed  the  empire  with  much  wis- 
dom. 

Antoninus  Pius — who  gave  his  whole  time  and 
thoughts  to  making  his  people  happy,  cared  very 
little  for  luxury,  and  was  particularly  patient  and 
courteous.  And 

Marcus  Aurelius — commonly  called  the  Philoso- 
pher—who  is  described  as  being  severe  and  con- 
scientious towards  himself,  and  gentle  and  consider- 
ate to  every  one  else;  and  who  was  yet  induced  to 
allow  a cruel  persecution  of  the  Christians  in  Gaul. 

16.  Amongst  the  worst  emperors,  were  Domi- 
tian, the  brother  of  Titus;  Commodus,  the  suc- 
cessor of  Marcus  Aurelius;  and  Heliogabalus. 

17.  Constantine  the  Great  succeeded.  He  was 
converted  to  Christianity  early  in  his  reign,  by  the 
miraculous  appearance  of  a bright  cross  in  the  heav- 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


225 


ens,  inscribed  with  the  words,  “ In  this  overcome,” 
as  he  was  engaged  in  a war  against  a general  who 
was  his  rival.  This  great  event  took  place  more 
than  three  hundred  years  after  the  birth  of  our 
blessed  Lord.  Constantine  removed  from  Rome  to 
the  city  of  Byzantium,  or  Constantinople,  intending 
to  make  it  the  capital  city,  and  from  that  time  the 
empire  of  Rome  was  divided  into  two  parts,  and 
governed  by  two  emperors:  Rome  being  the  capital 
of  the  Western  Empire,  and  Constantinople  of  the 
Eastern. 

18.  In  the  course  of  five  hundred  years  after  the 
birth  of  our  Lord,  the  Western  Empire  was  overrun 
by  the  Goths,  Vandals,  Huns,  and  other  warlike 
tribes  from  the  distant  parts  of  Europe;  who,  find- 
ing the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Italy,  Spain,  and  sev- 
eral southern  countries  entirely  weakened  by  habits 
of  luxury  and  ease,  were  able  to  dispossess  them, 
and  settle  themselves  in  their  place. 

19.  The  Eastern  Empire — or,  as  it  is  often  called, 
the  Greek  Empire — lasted  much  longer;  for,  al- 
though its  power  was  much  lessened,  it  was  not 
entirely  overthrown  until  the  year  a.  d.  1453,  when 
the  Turks,  under  their  sultan  Mohammed  II.,  took 
Constantinople. 


CHAPTER  LV. 

1.  Having  learned  so  much  of  the  history  of  the 
Romans,  it  may  be  useful  to  know  something  of 
their  dwellings,  habits,  and  manners;  although 
these  can  scarcely  be  described  with  perfect  cor- 


226 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


rectness,  as  they  must  have  changed  from  time  to 
time.  The  account  which  will  now  be  given  of  them 
is  according  to  what  they  are  believed  to  have  been 
in  the  days  when  the  Romans  were  most  civilized. 

2.  A Roman  house  was,  in  many  respects,  very 
unlike  an  English  house;  for  the  warm  climate  en- 
abled the  people  to  do  many  things  which  we  cannot 
venture  upon.  There  was  a sort  of  court  before  the 
door,  round  three  sides  of  which  the  rest  of  the 
house  was  built.  The  street-door  opened  into  a 
hall,  where  a porter  was  stationed,  and  a dog  fre- 
quently kept  for  protection;  and  beyond  the  hall 
was  a large  apartment  called  the  Atrium,  with  an 
opening  in  the  roof  through  which  the  rain-water 
fell  into  a cistern  in  the  floor.  This  cistern  was 
usually  ornamented  with  statues  and  columns,  and 
thus  made  beautiful  as  well  as  useful:  this  was  the 
principal  room  in  the  house,  and  was  used  for  re- 
ceiving visitors.  The  images  of  their  ancestors 
were  placed  in  it,  and  the  fireplace  was  considered 
sacred,  and  dedicated  to  the  Lares,  or  household 
gods.  It  was  fitted  up  very  splendidly:  indeed,  the 
Romans  went  to  a vast  expense  for  the  furnishing 
and  adornment  of  their  houses;  so  that  we  are  told 
of  as  much  as  30,000/.  being  given  as  the  price  of 
one;  and  of  a villa  so  magnificent,  that,  when  it  was 
burnt,  the  loss  was  estimated  at  being  more  than 
800,000/. 

3.  There  was  often  a court  besides,  open  to  the 
sky  and  surrounded  by  columns,  and  decorated  with 
trees  and  flowers. 

4.  The  rest  of  the  house  varied  according  to  the 
taste  of  the  person  who  lived  in  it.  The  bedrooms 
were  small;  and,  as  the  Romans  generally  rested  in 
the  middle  of  the  day,  there  were  apartments  of 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


227 


this  kind  both  for  the  day  and  the  night.  Their 
beds  were  rather  high,  and  usually  entered  by  means 
of  steps.  Sometimes  they  were  made  of  metal;  some- 
times of  costly  wood,  ornamented  with  tortoise-shell 
and  ivory.  The  counterpanes  were  generally  pur- 
ple, embroidered  with  beautiful  figures  in  gold.  It 
is  not  known  whether  they  had  curtains.  The  din- 
ing-room was  usually  of  an  oblong  shape,  and  fitted 
up  with  soft  couches;  for  the  Roman  men  did  not 
sit  up  as  we  do,  but  were  accustomed  to  lie  one  be- 
hind another,  with  their  backs  supported  by  cush- 
ions. The  ladies  however  generally  sat.  The 
dishes  were  placed  upon  a table  in  the  middle. 

5.  The  floors  of  the  rooms  were  usually  covered 
with  stone  or  marble,  or  what  is  called  mosaic 
work;  which  is  a pattern  made  of  very  small  pieces 
of  different  colored  marbles,  inlaid. 

6.  The  Roman  houses  had  but  few  windows,  very 
small,  and  high  in  the  wall.  In  the  early  times, 
windows  were  merely  openings  in  the  wall,  closed 
by  means  of  shutters:  afterwards  they  were  made 
of  a transparent  stone;  and,  in  the  times  of  the  em- 
perors, glass  began  to  be  used.  The  bedrooms 
must  have  been  extremely  dark;  for  the  windows 
did  not  generally  open  into  the  street,  but  into  the 
atrium,  which  was  lighted  from  the  opening  in  the 
roof. 

7.  Instead  of  stoves  or  fireplaces,  the  Romans 
heated  their  houses,  when  they  found  it  necessary, 
by  braziers  of  coal  or  charcoal,  which  could  be 
moved  from  one  place  to  another.  Sometimes  they 
warmed  the  rooms  by  hot  air,  conveyed  through 
pipes;  but  the  mildness  of  the  climate  often  en- 
abled them  to  do  without  any  thing  of  the  kind.  It 
is  generally  thought  that  they  had  no  chimneys;  but 


228 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


that  the  smoke  escaped  through  the  windows,  doors, 
and  openings  in  the  roof. 

8.  The  tops  of  the  houses  were  flat;  and  terraces 
were  made  upon  them,  with  artificial  gardens,  where 
persons  might  enjoy  basking  in  the  sun. 

9.  The  principal  Roman  meal  was  like  ours — the 
dinner,  or  coena,  taken  about  three  o’clock  in  the 
day  or  later.  Children  and  invalids  sometimes  had 
a meal  of  bread  and  dried  fruits  very  early  in  the 
morning,  and  it  was  customary  to  take  a light 
luncheon  about  twelve  o’clock;  but  the  luxury  and 
splendor  of  their  mode  of  life  was  shown  in  their 
dinners.  These  usually  consisted  of  three  courses. 
The  first  was  formed  of  light  dishes,  which  it  was 
thought  would  increase  the  appetite  of  the  guests; 
such  as  olives,  sausages,  dormice  sprinkled  with 
poppy-seed  and  honey,  fish,  thrushes,  asparagus, 
&c. : then  followed  the  more  solid  meat,  of  which 
pork — especially  sucking  pig — seems  to  have  been 
the  favorite  dish,  besides  boar’s  flesh,  venison,  and 
game;  afterwards  came  the  dessert,  consisting  of 
fruits — which  the  Romans  usually  ate  uncooked — 
sweetmeats,  and  confectionery.  A peacock  was 
considered  a great  luxury,  but  a very  expensive  one. 
When  the  persons  who  were  to  enjoy  this  meal  first 
assembled,  they  took  off  their  shoes  for  fear  of 
soiling  the  couch,  which  was  often  inlaid  with  ivory 
or  tortoise-shell,  and  covered  with  cloth  of  gold; 
next  they  lay  down  to  eat,  the  head  resting  on  the 
left  elbow,  and  supported  by  cushions.  Each  per- 
son was  carefully  provided  with  a napkin,  which 
was  particularly  necessary,  as  they  had  no  forks  but 
ate  with  their  fingers.  There  were  usually  three 
persons  on  the  same  couch,  the  middle  place  being 
esteemed  the  most  honorable.  The  servants  stood 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


229 


near  the  tables  with  napkins  round  their  waists. 
Some  removed  the  dishes,  and  wiped  the  tables  with 
a rough  cloth;  others  gave  the  guests  water  for  their 
hands,  or  cooled  the  room  with  fans;  others  carried 
round  dishes  to  the  guests;  and  when  any  thing  was 
particularly  wanted  it  was  called  for  by  a snapping 
of  the  fingers.  They  drank  wine;  but  usually  mixed 
it  with  water,  and  sometimes  with  honey  and  spices. 

10.  The  Romans  always  bathed,  and  were  anoint- 
ed with  oil  before  they  went  to  dinner;  it  was 
one  of  their  greatest  luxuries;  and  public  baths 
were  provided,  where  any  person  might  enjoy  him- 
self at  a small  expense.  When  a great  man  wished 
to  gain  favor  with  the  people,  he  would  give  them  a 
day’s  bathing.  Gardens  and  libraries  were,  in  later 
years,  attached  to  some  of  the  public  baths;  so  that 
numbers  of  persons  used  to  meet  together  there  for 
conversation  and  amusement. 

11.  With  regard  to  the  Roman  dress,  the  toga 
was  the  principal  outer  garment  worn  by  men,  and 
at  one  time  by  women.  This  was  a loose  robe,  not 
made  up  into  any  form  like  our  dresses,  but 
wrapped  round  the  body.  The  material  was  usually 
wool;  and  when  persons  wished  to  stand  for  any 
office,  they  rubbed  their  toga  with  white  chalk:  the 
toga  was  then  called  “ toga  Candida.”  Our  word 
“candidate”  is  derived  from  this  custom;  “Can- 
dida ” being  the  Latin  word  for  white.  Black  togas 
were  worn  in  mourning;  and,  on  occasions  of  tri- 
umph and  rejoicing,  they  were  ornamented  and  em- 
broidered. Boys  wore  a toga  with  a broad  purple 
hem  till  they  were  about  fourteen,  and  this  signified 
that  they  were  not  old  enough  to  take  care  of  their 
own  property  or  govern  themselves.  There  were 
regular  ceremonies  used  when  this  first  toga  was  left 

16 


230 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


off,  and  the  man’s  toga  was  put  on:  it  was  consid- 
ered a very  important  event  in  a boy’s  life.  Girls 
wore  togas  also;  but  they  never  made  any  change 
till  they  were  married:  then  they  put  on  what  was 
called  a stola — a sort  of  loose  frock,  fastened  round 
the  waist  by  a girdle,  and  having  a flounce  at  the 
bottom.  Both  men  and  women  wore  tunics,  or 
short  garments  with  sleeves,  underneath  their  outer 
dress;  and  when  they  wished  to  protect  themselves 
from  the  cold,  they  used  what  we  should  call  blank- 
ets— coverings  made  of  the  same  rough  material, 
but  much  ornamented.  Blankets  of  this  kind  were 
common  for  several  purposes:  sometimes  they  were 
spread  on  the  ground  and  served  for  carpets. 

12.  The  use  of  shoes  was  not  universal  amongst 
the  Romans:  for  instance,  persons  sometimes  went 
barefooted  when  they  attended  a funeral;  but  at 
other  times  their  shoes  were  either  mere  soles  fas- 
tened to  the  foot  by  bands,  or  else,  like  our  own, 
covering  the  instep.  The  toes  were  frequently  un- 
covered. 

13.  The  art  of  printing  was  unknown  to  the  Ro- 
mans; and,  when  they  wished  to  write,  they  used 
reeds  split  like  our  pens,  and  wrote  with  a thick 
kind  of  ink,  either  upon  paper  made  from  the  bark 
of  an  Egyptian  plant  called  papyrus,  or  else  upon 
parchment.  They  also  used  little  pointed  iron  in- 
struments, with  which  they  inscribed  letters  upon" 
waxen  tablets,  and,  in  writing,  instead  of  sitting 
upright,  they  generally  lay  upon  couches,  and  rais- 
ing one  knee,  rested  the  writing  material  against  it. 

14.  The  public  games  have  already  been  spoken 
of;  in  which,  besides  the  fights  of  the  gladiators, 
they  pleased  themselves  with  chariot  races,  and  the 
combats  of  wild  beasts. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


231 


15.  During  the  persecution  of  the  Christians,  the 
martyrs  were  often  killed  by  wild  beasts  at  their 
public  assemblies;  and  their  sufferings  were  a source 
of  amusement  to  the  cruel  spectators. 

16.  The  Romans  do  not  appear  to  have  known 
much  about  flowers.  They  had  gardens  divided 
into  flower-beds  and  separated  by  borders  of  box, 
as  we  might  have:  but  the^  chief  flowers  which  they 
appear  to  have  been  acquainted  with,  were  roses 
and  violets;  although  they  also  had  the  crocus,  lily, 
iris,  poppy,  narcissus,  gladiolus,  and  others.  The 
most  striking  part,  in  a Roman  garden,  must  have 
been  lines  of  large  trees  planted  in  regular  order; 
and  alleys  formed  by  closely  clipped  hedges,  and 
interspersed  with  statues,  fountains,  and  summer- 
houses. They  were  very  fond  of  cutting  their 
shrubs  into  different  figures.  Conservatories  and 
hot-houses  are  mentioned  in  the  times  of  the  em- 
perors. 

17.  These  few  particulars  will  be  sufficient  to 
show  that,  however  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
Romans  might  differ  from  ours,  they  had  a great 
love  of  luxury  and  refinement,  and  were  in  most  re- 
spects quite  as  civilized  as  we  imagine  ourselves 
to  be. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE 
OF  THE  PRINCIPAL  CONTEMPORARY  EVENTS 
OF  ROMAN  AND  JEWISH  HISTORY. 


B.  C. 

Judah. 

B.  c. 

Israel. 

B.  c. 

Rome. 

B.  c. 

800 

Jotham  .... 

758 

Pekah. 

759 

Foundation  of  Rome 

by  Romulus  . . 

753 

Ahaz 

742 

Hoshea 
(End  of 

730 

the 

king- 
dom of 

Hezekiah  .... 

727 

Israel.) 

Numa  Pompilius  . 

715 

700 

Manasseh  .... 

698 

Tullus  Hostilius  . 

03 

Amon 

643 

Ancus  Marcius  . . 

642 

Josiah 

641 

Lucius  Tarquinius 

Priscus  .... 

617 

Jehoahaz  .... 

610 

Jehoiakim  . . . 

610 

600 

Jehoiakin  .... 

599 

Zedekiah  .... 
(Judah  carried  cap- 

599 

tive  to  Babylon.) 

Servius  Tullius  . . 

579 

Cyrus  proclaims  lib- 

erty  to  the  Jews  . 

536 

Tarquinius  Super- 

Foundation  of  the 

bus 

535 

second  temple 

534 

Temple  finished 

515 

Consuls  first  chosen 

5io 

500 

Ezra  sent  to  govern 

Insurrection  of  the 
Plebeians  . . . 

Caius  Marcus  Co- 

495 

riolanus  in  exile  . 

491 

Judaea  .... 

467 

Cincinnatus  dicta- 

tor 

458 

Decemviri  begin 

their  task  . . . 

45i 

Nehemiah  sent  . . 

445 

Siege  of  Veii  com- 

menced  .... 

4°5 

233 


234 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


B.  C. 
400 


Judah. 


Israel. 


Rome. 

Rome  burnt  by  the 
Gauls  . . . . 

Rome,  rebuilt  . . 

Agrarian  law  . . 

First  Samnite  war  . 
Second  Samnitewar 


Third  Samnite  war 
Pyrrhus,  king  of 
Epirus,  lands  in 

Italy 

First  Punic  war  be- 
gun ...... 

Second  Punic  war 
begun  .... 

A Roman  army  sent 
to  Greece  . . . 


390 

389 

376 

343 

326 


298 

281 

263 

218 

200 


Antiochus  Epipha- 
nes’  cruel  treat- 
ment of  the  Jews 
Restoration  of  daily 
sacrifice,  and  pu- 
rification of  the 
temple  by  Judas 
Maccabeus  . . 


Aristobulus,  king 


165 


Third  Punic  war 
begun  . . . . 

Tiberius  Gracchus 
elected  tribune  . 

Warwith  Tugurtha, 
king  of  Numidia, 
declared  . . . 

Cimbri  defeated  by 
Marius  .... 


149 

133 


The  contest  be- 
tween Hyrcanus 
and  Aristobulus 
the  2d,  decided 
by  Pompey  . . 


63 


Social  or  Marsic 

war 

Marius  outlawed  . 
Syllaappointed  per- 
petual dictator  . 
Sertorius  murdered 
Servile  war,  under 
Spartacus,  ended 
by  Pompey  and 
Crassus  .... 


82 

72 


71 


Catiline’s  conspira- 
cy discovered  by 
Cicero  .... 


63 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


235 


B.  C. 

Judah. 

B.  c. 

Israel. 

B.  C. 

Rome. 

B.  C. 

Caesar’s  campaigns 
in  Gaul .... 
Caesar’s  first  inva- 

58 

sion  of  Britain  . 
Caesar  crosses  the 

55 

Rubicon  . . . 

49 

Battle  of  Pharsalia 
Death  of  Cato  . . 
fulius  Caesar  mur- 

48 

46 

dered  .... 
Second  triumvirate 

44 

formed  .... 
Brutus  and  Cassius 

43 

defeated  at  Phi- 
kppi 

42 

Antony  in  Asia  and 

Herod  the  Great,  an 

Egypt  .... 

4i 

Idumean,  made 

king 

40 

Battle  of  Actium 
Augustus  Caesar 

3i 

first  emperor  . . 

27 

THE  BIRTH 

OF  JESUS 

CHRIST. 

A.D. 

Archelaus  made 

A.  D 

A.D. 

A.D. 

ethnarch  of  Ju- 

daea,  Herod  An- 
tipas  tetrarch  of 
Galilee,  and  Phi- 

lip  tetrarch  of 
Iturea  .... 

3 

Tiberius  .... 

14 

Pontius  Pilate  (Ro- 

man  governor  of 
Judaea)  .... 

26 

Herod  Agnppa 

(made  king  of  all 
Judaea)  .... 

37 

Caligula  .... 
Claudius  .... 

37 

41 

Agrippa,  king  of 

part  of  Judaea  . 
Felix  (Roman  gov- 

53 

ernor)  .... 

53 

Nero 

54 

Festus (Roman  gov- 

ernor)  .... 

62 

Gessius  Florus  (Ro- 
man governor)  . 

Jerusalem  de- 

65 

Galba 

Otho 

Vitellius  .... 
Vespasian  . . . 

68 

69 

69 

69 

stroyed  by  Titus 

70 

Titus 

79 

QUESTIONS. 


CHAPTER  I. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  To  understand  the  history  of  a country,  what  must  we  first  do? 

2.  What  is  the  history  of  Rome  said  to  be?  Where  shall  we  find 

Italy?  What  countries  lie  to  the  north  of  it?  What  bounds  it 
on  the  east  ? What  on  the  south  a*nd  west  ? What  is  said  of  its 
shape  ? 

3.  What  are  the  peculiarities  of  its  climate?  What  range  of  moun- 

tains runs  through  it,  and  in  what  direction  ? What  is  further 
stated  in  connection  with  those  mountains  ? What  has  Italy 
been  called  ? 

4.  In  reading  its  early  history,  what  must  we  remember?  Of  what 

only  can  we  be  certain  ? What  was  the  religion  of  the  ancient 
inhabitants  of  Italy  ? In  what  were  they  very  particular  ? 

5.  What  one  of  the  principal  Italian  states  is  mentioned?  What  was 

the  name  of  its  chief  city?  By  whom  is  it  said  to  have  been 
built?  ^What  is  said  of  its.  kings?  What  two  brothers  wished 
to  obtain  the  crown  ? Which  of  them  succeeded,  and  by  what 
means  ? What  did  he  do  to  make  his  power  secure  ? Whom  did 
he  oblige  to  become  a vestal  virgin  ? What  was  the  duty  of  the 
vestal  virgins  ? What  law  is  mentioned  with  respect  to  them  ? 

6.  What  occurred,  notwithstanding  this  law?  On  what  did  Amulius 

determine,  and  how  order  it  to  be  done  ? How  was  his  design 
defeated  ? 

7.  Who  found  the  children  ? What  did  he  do  with  them  ? What 

names  did  he  give  them  ? 

8.  What  did  Amulius  suppose?  What  quarrel  is  mentioned?  Who 

was  taken  prisoner  ? To  whom  was  he  carried  ? 

9.  What  did  the  two  princes  decide  upon?  What  did  Romulus  do? 

Who  was  then  proclaimed  king  ? 

10.  What  did  Romulus  and  Remus  wish  to  do?  What  dispute  arose 

between  them  ? What  were  the  augurs  ? 

11.  In  whose  favor  did  they  decide?  What  city  did  he  build?  How 

did  he  mark  out  its  size  ? Where  was  the  plough  lifted  up,  and 
why  ? What  is  the  date  of  this  event  ? 

12.  At  what  was  Remus  disappointed,  and  how  did  he  act  ? What 

further  occurred  at  this  time  ? 

CHAPTER  II.— Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter?  When  did  he 
begin  to  reign  ? 

1.  What  is  said  of  his  kingdom  at  that  time  ? What  of  his  subjects  ? 
How  did  he  increase  their  number  ? 

236 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  237 

2.  Of  what  was  there  a scarcity  ? By  what  plan  did  Romulus  remedy 

the  deficiency  ? 

3.  How  did  the  Sabines  feel  and  act  ? 

4.  Of  what  did  they  obtain  possession,  and  by  whose  treachery  ? 

What  did  she  contrive  to  do  ? What  was  her  fate  ? What  used 
to  be  a custom  of  the  Romans  ? 

5.  Did  the  taking  of  the  Roman  fortress  end  the  war?  Who  at  length 

determined  to  arrest  it  ? 

6.  Why  did  they  wish  to  make  peace  ? What  did  they  do  to  effect 

their  object  ? To  whom  did  they  make  their  appeal  ? What 
was  at  length  proposed  ? Who  took  an  oath,  and  to  do  what  ? 

7.  What  temple  was  built  at  that  time  ? What  is  said  of  its  gates  ? 

What  do  we  learn  respecting  them  ? What  happened  to  Tatius, 
and  from  what  cause  ? What  is  said  of  the  government  after  his 
death  ? Whom  did  Romulus  choose,  and  for  what  ? What  were 
they  called  ? What  was  their  number  ? 

8.  Where  did  they  meet? 

9.  What  other  subjects  had  Romulus,  and  what  were  they  called  ? 

What  other  class  was  there  ? 

10.  How  did  the  patricians  treat  the  plebeians  ? What  happened  in 

consequence  ? 

11.  What  other  class  of  persons  was  there  in  Rome,  besides  patricians 

and  plebeians  ? What  is  said  of  them  ? What  was  the  lowest 
class  of  persons  ? 

12.  What  is  said  of  the  reign  and  death  of  Romulus  ? 

13.  Relate  the  story  of  his  disappearance.  What  did  the  people  say 

and  do  ? 

14.  What  does  the  author  say  in  regard  to  that  story  ? What  has  been 

said  by  some  ? 

15.  What  prophet  was  living  when  Rome  was  founded  ? 


CHAPTER  III. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  What  is  said  of  the  government  after  the  death  of  Romulus  ? Who 

was  at  last  fixed  upon  ? What  was  his  character  ? 

2.  What  was  thought  respecting  him  ? What  was  his  custom  ? Re- 

late some  of  his  good  acts. 

3.  How  long  did  he  reign  ? 

CHAPTER  IV. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  By  whom  was  he  chosen  ? What  do  we  know  of  his  character? 

How  long  did  he  reign  ? 

2.  What  important  event  is  mentioned  as  happening  in  his  time? 

Who  went  to  war  ? Relate  the  manner  in  which  they  determined 
to  settle  their  disputes. 

3.  How  did  the  young  men  meet  each  other? 

4.  What  two  were  first  killed  ? What  did  the  other  brother  do  ? Re- 

late what  happened  to  the  Curiatii. 

5.  Where  did  Horatius  go  ? Before  going,  what  did  he  do  ? Who 

met  him  ? What  did  he  do  to  her  ? 

6.  To  what  was  he  not  condemned,  and  why  ? In  what  way  was  he 

punished  ? What  does  that  mean  ? 

7.  What  is  said  of  the  peace  between  the  Albans  and  Romans  after 

this  ? 

8.  Why  was  Tullus  sorry  ? What  opinion  must  the  people  have  had 

of  him,  and  why  ? What  is  supposed  with  regard  to  him  ? 

9.  What  was  that  among  all  nations  ? What  example  is  cited  from 

the  Bible  ? 


238 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


CHAPTER  V. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  Whose  grandson  was  he,  and  in  what  respect  was  he  like  him  ? 

2.  What  brought  him  trouble,  and  why?  What  is  said  of  the  prison 

he  built  ? 

3.  Who  settled  in  Rome  during  his  reign  ? What  did  his  wife  desire? 

Relate  what  occurred  on  his  arrival  at  Rome. 

4.  What  did  his  wife  pretend  to?  What  did  she  think  a good  sign, 

and  what  did  she  declare  ? 

5.  Why  did  it  seem  likely  that  her  prophecy  might  be  fulfilled  ? 

6.  How  long  did  Ancus  reign  ? 

CHAPTER  VI. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  What  did  he  prove  himself  ? What  did  he  do  for  the  city  ? What 

is  still  to  be  seen  at  Rome  ? What  is  said  of  it  ? 

2.  How  did  he  amuse  the  people  ? What  did  he  build  ? What  was 

afterwards  done  to  it  ? 

3.  Of  what  were  the  Romans  fond  ? 

4.  About  what  is  there  a strange  story  told  ? What  did  he  wish  to  do  ? 

In  what  were  the  Romans  very  strict?  Of  what  was  the  king 
warned  by  one  of  the  augurs  ? How  did  he  treat  the  augur,  and 
what  did  he  ask  him  ? Relate  what  followed  in  this  interview. 
Relate  another  wonderful  story  told  of  an  event  that  took  place 
about  this  time. 

5.  Of  what  were  the  sons  of  Ancus  Martius  jealous,  and  why?  What 

did  they  determine  to  do  ? How  did  they  effect  their  purpose  ? 

6.  What  did  Tanaquil  then  do  ? What  falsehood  did  she  tell  the 

people  ? What  truth  did  she  tell  them,  and  when  ? How  long 
did  Tarquinius  reign  ? 

CHAPTER  VII. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  What  was  his  character  ? Why  did  not  the  patricians  like  him  ? 

On  whom  did  he  take  pity,  and  what  did  he  do  for  them  ? 

2.  In  what  did  he  make  a change  ? What  did  he  also  allow? 

3.  What  effect  had  these  acts  on  the  patricians  ? 

4.  To  whom  were  two  of  his  daughters  married  ? What  was  the  name 

and  character  of  the  younger  ? What  did  she  determine  to  do  ? 

5.  V/hat  did  she  try  to  persuade  her  husband  to  do  ? What  must  he 

have  been,  and  why  ? 

6.  Where  did  he  go,  and  what  do  ? What  is  said  of  the  senators  ? 

What  made  Servius  angry  ? What  did  he  do  ? What  did  Tar- 
quin  then  do  ? 

7„  What  is  said  of  the  death  oi  Servius  ? 

8.  What  is  related  of  Tullia  in  regard  to  that  murder  ? What  did  she 
do?  What  occurred  as  she  was  returning  home?  What  did 
she  say  ? 

CHAPTER  VIII.— Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  What  is  said  with  regard  to  his  name  ? What  did  the  Romans 

soon  find  him  ? What  effect  had  his  tyranny  on  the  poor  and 
the  rich  ? What  temple  did  he  erect  ? What  are  we  told  were 
called  the  Capitol,  and  why  ? 

2.  Relate  what  is  said  of  the  books  kept  in  this  temple. 

3.  To  what  was  the  king  persuaded  ? What  were  they  found  to  be  ? 

What  were  they  called  ? For  what  were  they  consulted  ? 

4.  What  wars  did  Tarquin  carry  on?  What  city  gave  him  the  most 

trouble  ? 

5.  Whom  did  he  send  to  Gabii  ? What  did  he  tell  the  people  of  that 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


239 


city  ? What  did  he  do  while  at  Gabii  ? What  was  he  not  able 
to  accomplish  ? What  did  he  then  do  ? What  did  his  father  do 
in  presence  of  the  messenger,  and  what  did  he  direct  him  to  tell 
his  son  ? What  did  Sextus  understand  by  this  ? How  did  he 
manage  to  do  it  ? _ 

6.  What  do  these  stories  prove  ? In  what  was  he  a great  believer  ? 

Whither,  and  for  what,  did  he  send  ? 

7.  Where  was  Delphi  ? What  temple  did  it  contain  ? What  power 

was  the  priestess  of  this  temple  supposed  to  possess  ? Upon 
points  of  importance,  what  did  the  people  do  ? Who  went  to 
consult  the  oracle,  and  whom  did  they  take  with  them  ? For 
what  was  Brutus  hoping  and  watching  ? Relate  what  took  place 
between  the  young  men  and  the  oracle? 

8.  What  made  Brutus  and  the  chief  persons  in  Rome  angry  with  the 

king’s  family  ? 

9.  What  did  not  the  Romans  know  to  be  a crime  ? What  did  Lucretia 

resolve  to  do  ? To  whom  did  she  send  ? What  did  she  make 
them  swear  ? What  did  she  then  do  ? 

10.  What  did  Brutus  vow  ? What  did  he  do  the  next  day  ? What 

then  ? What  did  the  people  of  Rome  determine  upon  ? What 
did  the  people  and  senate  swear  ? 

11.  Whither  did  Tarquin  and  Sextus  go? 

12.  What  is  said  of  our  accounts  of  the  kings  of  Rome  ? 

CHAPTER  IX. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter?  In  what  year 
were  consuls  first  chosen  ? 

1.  Who  was  left  to  be  chief  ruler  after  Tarquin  ? What  did  he  wish  ? 

Who  was  chosen  ? What  had  the  Romans  for  a number  of 
years  ? What  were  they  called  ? 

2.  For  what  did  Tarquin  send  ambassadors  to  Rome?  What  plots 

did  they  contrive,  and  whom  did  they  persuade  to  join  them  ? 
Who  overheard  them,  and  what  did  he  do?  What  did  not 
Brutus  refuse  to  do  ? Into  what  were  they  brought,  and  by 
whom  ? What  did  the  lictors  carry?  How  did  Brutus  speak  to 
his  sons?  What  did  he  bid  them  do?  What  did  he  then  ex- 
claim ? How  were  his  sons  punished  ? What  did  the  Romans 
think  of  the  conduct  of  Brutus  ? 

3.  Why  was  Collatinus  obliged  to  give  up  his  office  ? 

4.  Whom  did  Tarquin  persuade — to  do  what  ? Who  took  command 

of  the  army  ? Who  marched  out  against  them  ? Relate  what 
is  said  of  the  meeting  of  Aruns  and  Brutus. 

5.  What  was  done  with  the  body  of  Brutus?  Where  was  his  statue 

placed  ? 

6.  Who  was  consul  after  the  death  of  Brutus  ? What  was  he  called  ? 

Of  what  were  the  people  afraid,  and  why  ? How  did  he  quiet 
them  ? 

7.  What  had  Tarquin  not  given  up?  To  whom  did  he  go  for  aid? 

What  did  Porsenna  do  ? What  is  said  of  three  men  ? Give  the 
name  of  one  of  them.  What  was  it  his  duty  to  guard  ? What 
did  he  know?  What  was  done  to  prevent  Porsenna  from  fol- 
lowing ? 

8.  How  did  Horatius  escape  ? To  whom,  and  for  what  is  he  said  to 

have  prayed  ? 

9.  How  was  he  honored  by  the  senate  and  people? 

10.  Why  were  the  Romans  still  in  great  peril  ? What  did  they  not 

forget  ? What  was  at  last  determined  on  ? Who  offered  him- 
self for  this  purpose  ? 

11.  What  mistake  did  he  make?  To  whom  was  he  taken  on  being 


240 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


arrested  ? What  was  the  exclamation  of  Porsenna  ? How  did 
Mutius  reply  ? How  did  his  manner  affect  Porsenna,  and  why  ? 
On  being  told  he  would  be  burned  to  death,  what  did  Mutius  do  ? 
What  effect  had  that  on  the  king,  and  what  did  he  do  ? What 
was  Mutius  called  ? 

12.  What  alarmed  Porsenna?  What  would  not  the  Romans  consent 

to  ? What  were  they  obi  ged  to  do  ? 

13.  Under  what  conditions  were  the  hostages  delivered  up? 

14.  What  is  said  of  one  of  them  ? Who  followed  her  example?  What 

further  is  told  of  them  ? 

15.  What  did  Porsenna  do  after  that  ? 

16.  In  what  battle  did  Tarquin  again  fight  ? In  their  accounts  of  that 

battle,  what  do  Roman  writers  declare  ? What  were  the  Romans 
very  ready  to  do  ? 

17.  What  is  believed  respecting  Tarquin  ? How  old  was  he  when  he 

died  ? 

CHAPTER  X. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  What  is  remarked  of  the  history  of  Rome  ? What  is  said  of  the 

patricians  and  plebeians  ? What  is  probable  ? 

2.  Relate  the  causes  of  the  sufferings  of  the  plebeians  ? 

3.  What  was  given  to  the  patricians  ? How  were  the  plebeians 

treated  ? 

4.  What  war  is  mentioned  ? How  did  the  plebeians  behave  ? Relate 

why  they  took  that  resolution. 

5.  What  was  brought  just  at  that  moment?  How  did  the  plebeians 

act?  Whom  especially  did  this  alarm?  Who  sided  with  the 
plebeians,  and  what  did  he  promise  ? What  of  the  other  consul  ? 
What  did  the  people  do,  and  how  afterwards  were  they  treated  ? 

6.  What  is  said  of  some  rich  patricians  ? What  did  the  plebeians 

hold  ? What  did  they  at  length  do  ? 

7.  What  did  the  patricians  now  see  and  do  ? What  did  Agrippa  tell 

the  people  ? 

8.  Relate  the  fable. 

9.  What  was  its  effect  ? What  was  agreed  ? How  often  were  these 

officers  to  be  chosen,  and  what  called  ? How  many  were  there? 
What  were  they  allowed  ? What  was  made  a crime  ? 

CHAPTER  XI. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  What  about  this  time  occurred  in  Rome?  What  king  is  men- 

tioned? What  did  he  do?  What  is  said  of  a senator?  What 
was  his  name  ? What  did  he  think  ? 

2.  How  did  the  tribunes  feel,  and  what  did  they  do  ? What  did  Co- 

riolanus  do  ? What  is  said  of  heathen  houses  ? Where  did 
Coriolanus  go  ? What  had  Coriolanus  been  ? How  was  he  re- 
ceived ? What  was  soon  declared  ? What  was  Coriolanus 
made  ? Why  were  the  Roman  senators  afraid,  and  what  did 
they  do  ? Who  at  length  went  to  him  ? How  were  they  re- 
ceived ? Describe  the  interview  between  Coriolanus  and  his 
mother. 

3.  Whither  did  Coriolanus  return  ? What  is  said  as  to  the  manner  of 

his  death  ? 

CHAPTER  XII. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  What  is  said  of  the  patricians  and  plebeians  ? When  only  did  they 

agree,  and  why  ? 

2.  What  is  particularly  to  be  remembered,  and  why  ? 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  241 

3.  Against  whom  was  that  war  carried  on  ? What  misfortune  befell 

the  Roman  army  ? Who  were  in  alarm,  and  why  ? 

4.  Who  had  left  Rome,  and  why  ? Where  did  he  go  to  live  ? 

5.  When  did  he  appear  once  more  at  Rome  ? What  did  the  senate 

now  consider  him,  and  why  ? 

6.  How  did  the  messengers  find  him  engaged  ? When  only  was  a 

dictator  appointed  ? What  was  his  power  ? How  long  did  his 
office  last  ? 

7.  How  did  Cincinnatus  receive  the  message  ? How  did  he  depart, 

and  after  what  ? 

8.  What  did  the  senate  do,  and  who  waited  to  receive  him  ? 

9.  What  did  he  first  do  ? 

10.  Where  did  he  arrive  ? What  did  he  then  do  ? How  in  the  morn- 

ing did  the  ./Equi  find  themselves  ? What  did  they  do  ? What 
did  Cincinnatus  order  ? What  was  the  usual  sign  of  being  con- 
quered ? 

11.  With  what  was  Cincinnatus  received  at  Rome?  What  was  given  ? 

How  soon  did  he  give  up  his  office  ? Whither  did  he  then  go  ? 

CHAPTER  XIII.— Who  are  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  Of  what  did  the  plebeians  chiefly  complain  ? WThat  might  the 

consuls  do,  and  why  ? 

2.  What  was  the  conduct  of  the  plebeians  under  that  treatment? 

When,  and  to  what  did  the  patricians  consent  ? Whom  did  they 
appoint  ? What  were  they  called,  and  why  ? _ For  what  purpose 
were  they  appointed  ? When  did  they  begin,  and  how  soon 
finish  their  work?  When  it  was  ready,  what  did  they  do? 
After  the  whole  had  been  approved,  what  was  then  done  ? 

3.  What  is  said  of  the  government  while  the  Decemviri  were  arrang- 

ing the  laws  ? What  was  it  supposed  they  would  do?  How,  on 
the  contrary,  did  they  act  ? What  were  the  feelings  of  both 
patricians  and  plebeians  ? 

4.  What  event  occurred  about  that  time  ? What  reverses  did  the 

Romans  meet  with  ? What  excited  a general  ill-feeling  against 
the  government  ? Relate  the  circumstance. 

5.  What  other  Decemvir  behaved  very  wickedly  at  Rome  ? Where 

was  he  in  the  habit  of  going  every  day,  and  whom  did  he  see 
there  ? What  is  related  of  her  ? What  did  Appius  determine 
to  do  ? 

6.  Whom  did  he  order  to  seize  Virginia,  and  what  was  he  to  do  ? 

7.  Who  appeared  with  Virginia  before  Appius  ? What  was  he  ? How 

did  Appius  decide  ? What  request  did  Virginius  make?  What 
did  he  then  do,  and  say  ? 

8.  Whither  did  he  immediately  go  ? What  was  the  unanimous  deter- 

mination of  the  soldiers  ? Whither  did  they  march,  and  what 
did  they  require  ? 

9.  What  was  done  to  the  Decemviri  ? What  was  the  fate  of  Appius 

Claudius  ? 

10.  After  that,  to  what  form  of  government  did  the  Romans  return  ? 


CHAPTER  XIV. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  What  is  said  of  the  towns  taken  by  the  Romans  ? 

2.  What  is  said  of  Veii  ? What  was  decided  on  by  the  Romans? 

What  did  they  then  do,  and  with  what  success  ? 

3.  What  did  they  do  for  several  years?  What  did  they  then  resolve 

to  do  ? 

4.  What  do  the  old  Roman  writers  tell  ? What  prodigy  is  men- 


24  2 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


tioned  ? What  is  said  of  an  old  soldier  of  Veii  ? What  did  he 
tell  the  sentinel,  and  what  did  he  declare? 

5.  Where  did  the  Romans  send,  and  for  what  ? What  answer  was 

given?  What  did  the  Romans  then  do?  What  did  the  people 
of  Veii  declare?  Who  was  appointed  by  the  Romans — to  be 
what?  What  did  he  do  ? When  was  a plan  of  attack  made? 
What  is  said  of  a third  party  ? 

6.  What  was  the  king  of  Veii  then  doing?  What  did  the  soldiers 

hear  and  do?  How  did  the  army  enter?  Who  was  killed? 
What  is  said  of  the  inhabitants  of  Veii,  and  its  treasures  ? What 
statue  was  carried  to  Rome}  and  what  temple  was  built  ? 

7.  What  had  Camillus  ? What  is  a triumph  ? 

8.  Why  was  that  one  disliked  by  the  Romans?  How  did  he  enter 

the  city  ? What  is  said  of  white  horses  ? What  of  the  statues 
of  the  gods?  At  what  were  the  people  shocked?  Why  were 
the  soldiers  angry  ? Of  what  was  Camillus  accused,  and  what 
obliged  to  do  ? 

CHAPTER  XV. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  Who  asked  the  aid  of  the  Romans,  and  against  whom  ? 

2.  Who  were  the  Gauls  ? How  are  they  described?  By  what  was 

their  country  separated  from  Italy  ? What,  however,  did  some 
of  them  do  ? 

3.  What  did  not  the  Roman  senators  wish  ? What  did  they  do  ? 

4.  Before  whom  were  the  ambassadors  taken  ? What  did  they  say  to 

him  ? What  did  he  reply  ? 

5 What  did  Fabii  inquire  ? 

6.  How  did  Brennus  answer?  What  followed  ? 

7.  What  was  against  the  customs  of  all  nations?  What  did  the  Gauls 

swear  ? 

8.  What  terrible  news  came  to  Rome  ? What  were  ever  afterwards 

counted  unlucky,  and  why  ? As  the  Gauls  came  on,  what  aid 
the  Romans  do  ? 

9.  Whom  did  Brennus  send  out,  and  what  word  did  they  bring  back  ? 

What  did  Brennus  fear?  In  what  state  did  he  find  Rome  ? 
What  could  the  Gauls  do  ? What  did  they  at  last  reach  ? Whom 
did  they  find  there?  What  is  said  of  their  appearance?  What 
did  the  barbarians  take  them  to  be  ? Relate  what  followed. 
Who  had  shut  themselves  up,  where,  and  what  determined  to 
do  ? What  is  said  of  the  old  men  left  in  the  forum  ? 

10.  Ho>y  long  were  the  Romans  shut  up  in  the  capitol  ? What  is  said 

of  the  condition  of  Rome  at  that  time? 

11.  What  had  nearly  succeeded  ? What  noise  was  heard  ? What  were 

these?  Whom  did  they  wake  ? What  did  he  do?  What  did 
the  Gauls  propose  ? 

12.  What  is  said  by  the  old  writers  ? When  the  Romans  complained, 

what  did  Brennus  do  ? Who  came  just  at  that  time,  and  with 
what  ? What  did  he  say  ? What  followed  ? What  is  said  of 
these  accounts  ? 

CHAPTER  XVI. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  In  what  state  did  the  Gauls  leave  Rome  ? On  what  could  not  the 

people  agree  ? Why  ? By  what  was  the  point  at  last  settled  ? 

2.  What  did  each  person  do  ? What  was  the  consequence  ? 

3.  What  is  said  of  Camillus  ? Why  ? 

4.  What  is  said  of  the  poor? 

5.  Who  felt  the  greatest  compassion  for  them  ? What  instance  is 

given  ? What  did  he  declare  ? 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  243 


6.  From  that  time,  what  did  he  do  ? Of  what  did  the  patricians 
accuse  him  ? What  did  they  do  ? How  were  the  plebeians 
affected  by  that  ? What  did  Manlius  really  now  do  ? Of  what 
was  he  at  last  accused,  and  to  what  sentenced  ? Where,  and 
with  whom  did  he  shut  himself  up  ? How  was  he  betrayed  ? 
What  of  his  house  and  family  ? 

CHAPTER  XVII. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  Who  next  tried  to  help  the  plebeians  ? What  were  they,  and  in 

what  year?  What  do  they  seem  to  have  been?  What  is  there 
great  reason  to  doubt  ? 

2.  With  what  did  Fabia’s  sister  reproach  her  ? What  did  her  father 

and  her  husband  determine  ? 

3.  What  is  certain  ? What  was  settled  ? What  law  was  proposed  ? 

What  is  such  a law  called  ? Before  the  passage  of  that  law, 
what  used  the  patricians  to  do  ? Of  what  was  that  the  cause  ? 

4.  What  course  did  the  patricians  pursue  ? What  point  was  gained, 

and  by  whom?_  To  what  was  Lucius  Sextius  appointed  ? What 
were  the  patricians  still  determined  on  ? What  new  magistrate 
was  appointed  ? What  was  given  to  him  ? 

5.  What  broke  out  about  that  time  ? What  was  appointed,  and  for 

what  purpose  ? What  did  the  people  fancy  ? Who  died  of  that 
plague  and  at  what  age  ? 

6.  What  is  said  to  have  happened  in  the  same  year  with  the  plague  ? 

What  did  the  augurs  say  ? Relate  what  is  said  of  a young  war- 
rior.? What  do  the  ancient  writers  declare? 

7.  Of  what  is  frequent  mention  made,  during  this  period  ? On  one 

occasion,  what  took  place?  Who  accepted  the  offer  ? 

8.  Of  what  does  this  anecdote  remind  us  ? Relate  the  difference 

which  can  always  be  discovered  between  the  actions  of  heathens 
and  the  worshippers  of  the  True  God. 

9.  What  was  the  wish  of  the  Roman,  and  what  of  David  ? 

CHAPTER  XVIII. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  What  would  it  have  been  difficult  for  the  Romans  to  avoid,  and 

why  ? What,  besides  that  ? 

2.  Who  were  now  the  rivals  of  Rome  ? What  is  said  of  their  country, 

and  how  was  it  situated  ? What  is  said  of  its  inhabitants  ? 

3.  How  many  great  wars  were  there  between  the  Romans  and  Sam- 

nites  ? What  caused  the  first  one  ? 

4.  What  was  of  great  importance  to  the  Romans?  What  if  they  had 

lost  it  ? What  is  still  more  interesting,  and  why  ? 

5.  What  had  the  consul  done  ? How  were  the  troops  situated  ? Who 

saved  them,  and  how  ? 

6.  With  what  was  Decius  rewarded  ? What  is  said  of  that  crown  ? 

7.  What  was  a custom  among  the  Romans  ? 

8.  What  other  reward  is  mentioned  ? To  whom  was  it  gran’ed  ? How 

long  did  that  first  war  last  ? Why  did  the  Roman  senators  find  it 
desirable  to  make  peace  ? 

9.  What  is  said  of  the  death  of  Decius  Mus  ? 

10.  What  did  the  Roman  consuls  dream,  and  what  agreement  did  they 
make  ? What  farther  is  said  of  the  battle  and  of  Deck  s ? 

CHAPTER  XIX. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  From  what  did  it  begin  ? What  is  there  reason  to  think  ? What 

was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  events  of  that  war  ? 

2.  By  what  had  the  Romans  not  profited  ? What  at  last  happened  ? 


244 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


What  were  the  Romans  forced  to  do  ? What  was  required  of 
them  ? What  was  the  army  obliged  to  do  ? 

3.  What  was  the  name  of  the  Samnite  general  ? What  might  he 

easily  have  done  ? What,  on  the  contrary,  did  he  do  ? 

4.  What  did  the  senators  suppose  ? How  did  tne  Samnites  act  ? In 

what  respect  were  they  more  noble  than  the  Romans?  How 
long  after  that  did  the  war  continue  ? What  were  the  Samnites 
then  obliged  to  do  ? 

5.  What  was  caused  to  be  made,  and  by  whom,  about  that  time  ? 

What  is  said  of  its  formation  ? What  is  it  still  called  ? 

CHAPTER  XX. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  When  did  it  break  out?  In  consequence  of  what  ? 

2.  What  happened  during  that  war?  What  are  we  told  ? What  did 

he  believe  ? 

3.  Who  was  taken  prisoner,  and  in  what  battle? 

4.  How  did  the  Romans  treat  him  ? What  is  this  considered  ? 

5.  How  long  did  the  third  Samnite  war  last  ? What  further  is  said 

of  it  ? 

6.  What  is  said  of  the  town  of  Herculaneum  ? 

CHAPTER  XXI. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter?  When  did  he 
land  in  Italy  ? 

1.  Of  what  were  the  Romans  now  masters  ? What  city  is  mentioned, 

and  how  described  ? What  is  still  called  after  it  ? What  quarrel 
began,  and  from  what  ? Whom  did  the  Romans  send,  and  how 
were  they  treated  ? _ What  is  said  of  their  return  to  Rome  ? 
What  did  the  Tarentines  resolve  ? To  whom  did  they  send,  and 
for  what  ? 

2.  What  was  Pyrrhus  ? What  was  his  character  ? What  was  pleasant 

to  him  ? 

3.  With  what  did  he  land  ? What  was  the  character  of  the  Taren- 

tines ? What  did  Pyrrhus  do  when  he  came  to  the  city  ? What 
would  not  the  Romans  do  ? What  were  they  forced  to  do,  how 
often,  and  why?  How  did  the  battle  end?  What  did  it  give 
Pyrrhus  ? What  is  said  of  the  next  day  ? What  did  he  say  on 
being  congratulated,  and  why  ? 

4.  What  was  proposed  ? Whom  did  Pyrrhus  send,  and  for  what  ? 

What  did  he  nearly  do  ? But  for  whom  would  they  probably 
have  done  it  ? What  is  said  of  Appius  ? What  did  Pyrrhus 
then  do  ? What  then  took  place,  and  what  did  the  Romans 
offer?  What  did  Pyrrhus  allow?  What  did  the  prisoners  try 
to  do?  To  what  were  they  obliged?  What  was  threatened  ? 
What  did  one  of  Pyrrhus’s  soldiers  offer  to  do  ? What  effect 
had  this  upon  the  Romans  ? What  is  said  of  Fabricius  and 
Pyrrhus  ? 

5.  Whom  did  Pyrrhus  send  back,  and  for  what  ? What  was  agreed, 

whither  did  Pyrrhus  go.  and  for  what  ? What  is  said  of  his  re- 
turn ? What  is  said  of  the  Romans?  Of  what  was  Pyrrhus 
fond  ? Where  and  how  was  he  killed  ? 

6.  Relate  what  is  said  of  the  Romans  after  the  war  with  Pyrrhus  was 

ended. 

CHAPTER  XXII. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  In  what  were  the  Carthaginians  chiefly  employed  ? What  was  the 
result  of  this  ? What  was  the  name  of  their  chief  city  ? By 
looking  on  what,  may  the  place  where  it  stood  be  found  ? What 
is  said  of  its  size  ? What  of  its  remains  ? Whither  did  they 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


245 


spread  themselves?  What  city  did  they  found,  and  what  is  it 
now  called  ? What  is  said  of  the  designation  of  the  wars  be- 
tween the  Carthaginians  and  Romans  ? What  is  agreed  respect- 
ing Carthage  ? 

2.  What  is  said  of  the  beginning  of  the  first  Punic  war  ? Who  had 

come  over  from  Italy  ? Of  what  town  had  they  taken  posses- 
sion ? To  what  does  it  still  give  its  name  ? To  whom  did  they 
appeal,  and  in  consequence  of  what?  To  what  could  not  the 
Romans  make  up  their  minds,  and  why  ? 

3.  How  did  the  Carthaginians  act  towards  the  Mamertines  ? On 

what  were  the  Romans  bent,  and  what  did  they  do  ? 

4.  What  is  said  of  the  part  taken  by  Hiero  ? 

5.  In  what  respect  were  the  Carthaginians  better  off  than  the  Ro- 

mans? What  did  the  Roman  senators  soon  see?  What  did 
they  determine  to  do  ? How  were  their  orders  obeyed  ? How 
did  the  Romans  get  the  better  of  the  Carthaginian  ships  ? What 
is  said  of  those  bridges  ? 

6.  Where  did  the  Romans  land,  and  what  do  ? What  must  they  have 

done,  and  why  ? 

7.  Who  was  consul  at  that  time  ? 

8.  What  does  he  not  appear  to  have  been  ? What,  notwithstanding, 

had  he  gained  ? What  seemed  possible,  and  why  ? What  might 
Regulus  have  done  ? Instead  of  that,  what  did  he  do?  Who 
went  back,  and  what  did  they  tell  the  people  ? Who  was  in  the 
city  ? What  did  he  undertake  ? How  did  he  succeed  ? 

9.  How  long  was  Regulus  a prisoner  ? What  were  the  Romans  at  the 

end  of  that  time  ? What  was  Regulus  obliged  to  promise,  and 
when  ? 

10.  What  must  have  been  very  pleasant  ? What  was  he  asked,  and 

how  did  he  reply  ? 

11.  State  the  consequence  of  that  advice  to  Regulus. 

12.  What  effect  had  his  advice  on  the  Carthaginians  ? How  is  it  said 

they  punished  him  ? What  have  we  reason  to  believe  ? 

13.  What  was  now  begun  again,  and  how  long  continued  ? What  fa- 

mous general  is  mentioned?  What  was  his  character?  For 
what  did  he  send  to  the  Roman  consul,  and  why  ? What  was 
the  consul’s  reply  ? What  happened  some  time  afterwards  ? 
What  did  Hamilcar  do  and  say  ? 

14.  What  were  the  Romans  now  able  to  do,  and  in  consequence  of 

what?  What  is  said  of  the  Roman  citizens?  What  did  the 
Romans  attack,  and  with  what  result  ? What  were  the  Car- 
thaginians now  obliged  to  do  ? To  what  did  they  consent  ? How 
long  did  the  first  Punic  war  continue  ? 

CHAPTER  XXIII. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  How  many  years  passed  before  war  was  again  declared  ? What  is 

said  of  the  two  nations  during  that  time  ? Against  whom  had 
the  Romans  to  defend  themselves — besides,  what  ? 

2.  On  whom  did  the  Carthaginians  depend  for  advice  ? What  was 

his  wish  ? Why  ? What  was  his  greatest  wish  ? Before  leaving 
Carthage,  what  did  he  do  ? How  did  he  die  ? Who  now  had 
the  command  ? What  did  he  found  ? 

3.  What  is  said  of  Hannibal  ? As  what  was  he  fixed  upon,  and 

when  ? 

4.  Of  what  did  he  wish  to  obtain  possession  ? What  did  he  therefore 

do  ? What  the  Saguntines  ? 

5.  What  is  said  of  that  conduct  of  Hannibal  ? What  of  the  best 

heathens  ? 

17 


246 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


6.  What  was  the  fate  of  Saguntum  ? What  afterwards  did  the 

Romans  do  ? Who  was  one  of  those  ambassadors  ? Repeat 
what  passed  between  him  and  the  Carthaginian  senators.  What 
was  now  declared,  and  in  what  year  ? 

7.  What  now  did  Hannibal  prepare  to  do?  What  lay  between  him 

and  Italy  ? What  is  said  of  them  ? How  were  his  soldiers 
affected?  With  what  did  he  proceed  ? What  did  the  Romans 
now  do  ? What  appeared  almost  impossible?  Where  was  Han- 
nibal before  Scipio  reached  Spain  ? What  route  did  he  take  ? 
What  added  to  his  difficulties  ? What  is  said  of  his  army  at  that 
time  ? What  of  Hannibal  himself  ? Repeat  the  account  of  his 
passing  the  Alps. 

8.  What  did  not  his  army  now  contain  ? Where  was  Scipio  ? What 

mistake  had  he  made  at  first,  and  what  did  he  still  do  ? Where 
did  the  two  armies  meet,  and  with  what  result?  What  did  the 
Romans  now  begin  to  think  ? What  did  not  Scipio  choose  to 
do  ? What,  therefore,  did  he  do  ? Who  was  called  back  ? 
Whither  had  he  been  sent,  and  for  what  ? 

9.  Whom  did  Hannibal  follow  ? For  what  was  he  anxious,  and  why  ? 

To  what  was  not  Scipio  inclined  ? Who  persuaded  him  to  at- 
tack Hannibal  ? Where  was  the  battle  fought  ? How  were  the 
two  armies  disposed  ? What  did  Hannibal  tell  some  of  his 
men  ? What  did  he  order  ? What  did  not  Sempronius  do  ? 
What  were  the  Roman  soldiers  ordered  to  do,  and  before  what  ? 
What  was  their  condition  ? What  was  the  fate  of  the  Roman 
army  ? 

10.  After  this,  what  did  Hannibal  do  ? What  the  Romans  ? 

11.  What . new  general  was  appointed  to  command  the  Romans? 

Whither  did  he  set  out  to  go  ? What  was  Hannibal’s  great  ob- 
ject, and  what  had  he  done  to  obtain  it  ? Where  was  he  over- 
taken ? What  is  said  of  that  lake  ? Relate  the  manner  in  which 
Flaminius  was  surprised.  What  is  said  of  the  battle  ? What 
loss  did  the  Romans  sustain  ? 

12.  How  were  the  people  of  Rome  affected  by  that  defeat  ? What  did 

they  immediately  do?  What  is  said  of  him  ? What  did  he 
resolve  ? What  did  every  one  expect  ? What  reasons  are  given 
for  his  not  doing  it  ? What  therefore  did  he  do  ? 

13.  What  course  did  Fabius  pursue  ? What  did  he  sometimes  contrive 

to  do  ? Relate  an  instance. 

14.  What  did  the  Roman  senators  think,  and  what  order?  To  what 

was  Minucius  tempted  ? What  was  the  conduct  of  Fabius  in 
that  instance  ? What  is'  said  to  have  been  its  effect  on  Mi- 
nucius ? What  did  Fabius  soon  after  do  ? 

15.  What  great  battle  was  fought  the  next  year?  What  was  Cannae  ? 

On  what  day  of  the  month  was  it  fought  ? Why  was  it  a dread- 
ful day  for  the.  Romans  ? What  is  said  of  some  of  the  men  of 
rank  ? _ What  is  said  of  Scipio  Africanus  ? 

16.  Who  advised  Hannibal  to  go  to  Rome  ? On  his  refusing,  what  did 

he  say  ? 

1 7.  Where  did  Hannibal  place  his  soldiers?  What  is  said  of  the  people 

of  Capua  ? On  hearing  of  Hannibal's  approach,  what  did 
they  do  ? 

18.  What  is  said  of  Hannibal’s  soldiers?  What  of  the  Romans? 

19.  For  what  was  Hannibal  very  anxious  ? Whom  did  he  send  to  Car- 

thage, and  with  what?  What  is  said  of  many  of  his  country- 
men ? What,  however,  did  they  do  ? 

20.  Why  had  the  Romans  a great  deal  to  attend  to  at  that  time  ? 

What  may  we  remember  in  regard  to  Sicily  ? What,  after  his 
death,  had  the  successors  of  Hiero  chosen  to  do  ? 


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247 


21.  What  event  is  remarkable  in  the  Sicilian  war?  Who  was  living  in 

Syracuse?  Repeat  what  is  related  of  him.  What  monument 
was  erected  to  his  memory,  and  by  whom  ? What  is  said  of 
Syracuse  ? What  followed  the  taking  of  Syracuse  ? 

22.  What  did  the  Romans  do  in  the  spring?  What  was  Hannibal 

doing?  What  is  said  of  the  people  of  _ Capua  ? What  of  many 
persons  of  the  highest  rank?  How  did  the  Romans  treat  the 
inhabitants,  and  why  ? What  did  not  Hannibal  attack,  and  why  ? 

23.  What  is  said  of  Hasdrubal’s  stay  in  Spain  ? What  two  Romans 

commanded  in  Spain  ? What  account  alarmed  the  Roman  peo- 
ple ? Who  offered  to  go  to  Spain  to  command  their  armies  ? 
How  is  he  described  ? What  is  said  of  Hasdrubal,  at  the  time 
of  Scipio’s  arrival  in  Spain  ? Why  was  the  journey  to  Italy 
easier  for  him  than  for  his  brother?  How  were  all  his  plans 
betrayed  to  his  enemies  ? What  was  the  consequence  ? What 
was  the  conduct  and  end  of  Hasdrubal?  Whither  did  the  Ro- 
man army  return,  and  how  soon  ? How  were  some  prisoners 
sent  in,  and  for  what  ? What  is  it  said  that  he  saw  ? What  did 
he  exclaim  ? 


CHAPTER  XXIV. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? In  what 
year  did  Scipio  land  in  Africa  ? 

1.  How  long  did  he  remain  in  Spain  ? At  the  end  of  that  time  what 

had  the  Romans  become  ? What  was  the  great  wish  of  Scipio  ? 
In  what  respect  was  he  more  fortunate  than  Hannibal  ? What 
princes  were  often  quarrelling  with  each  other,  and  why  ? What 
other  cause  of  hatred  was  there  ? 

2.  What  is  said  of  Sophonisba  ? Who  loved  her  ? What  did  her 

father  say  ? From  that  time  what  did  Masinissa  determine 
to  do  ? 

3.  As  soon  as  what  were  made,  did  Scipio  set  sail  for  Africa  ? What 

did  not  the  Carthaginians  attempt?  Who  commanded  their 
armies  ? What  is  stated  of  Masinissa?  In  what  was  Scipio  suc- 
cessful ? Relate  what  happened  one  night. 

4.  After  this,  whither  did  Syphax  withdraw  ? Who  followed  and  at- 

tacked him  ? What  was  the  result  of  the  battle?  Of  what  did 
Masinissa  take  possession  ? Who  met  him  ? What  did  she 
dread  more  than  all  other  evils  ? What  did  she  entreat  Ma- 
sinissa to  do  ? What  did  he  swear  ? What  seemed  scarcely 
possible,  and  why?  How  did  he  think  he  could  save  her? 
When  Scipio  arrived,  what  did  Masinissa  do  ? What  is  said  of 
the  Roman  general  ? What  did  Masinissa  say  to  Sophonisba? 
What  occurred  after  he  had  left  her  ? What  message  did  she 
send  to  her  husband  ? 

5.  What  did  the  Carthaginians  now  determine  to  do  ? With  what  was 

the  order  obeyed,  and  why?  It  being  impossible  to  refuse, 
what  did  he  do  ? What  did  he  think  desirable,  before  proceed- 
ing to  Carthage  ? 

6.  What  must  that  meeting  have  been,  and  why?  In  what  did  they 

not  agree,  and  what  followed  ? By  whom  was  it  _ gained  ? 
Whither  did  Hannibal  hasten,  and  for  what?  What  is  said  of 
his  return  ? 

’ 7.  What  is  said  of  brave  deeds  and  great  names  ? 

8.  What  is  said  of  the  peace  which  the  Carthaginians  now  made  ? 

What  were  they  obliged  to  give  up?  To  what  besides  were 
they  compelled  ? 

9.  With  what  was  Scipio  honored  ? What  was  then  given  him  ? 

What  is  stated  of  Syphax? 


248 


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CHAPTER  XXV. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  With  whom  was  war  now  begun  ? What  had  he  done  ? What  did 

he  invade,  and  what  besiege  ? What  did  the  Romans  very  will- 
ingly do,  and  why  ? 

2.  In  carrying  on  the  war,  what  did  the  Romans  profess  ? What  did 

they  secretly  desire  ? Among  whom  did  they  stir  up  quarrels, 
and  for  what  purpose  ? To  what  did  the  Macedonian  king  con- 
sent ? Against  whom  did  the  Romans  then  turn  ? 

3.  Of  what  was  Antiochus  monarch  ? Of  whom  was  he  the  friend  ? 

4.  What  stranger  was  at  his  court  ? What  is  said  of  his  stay  in,  and 

his  departure  from  Carthage?  How  did  Antiochus  treat  him  ? 
In  what  did  Antiochus  interfere  ? What  reason  is  assigned  for 
his  going  over  to  Greece  ? What  success  had  he  there  ? Whither 
did  he  return,  and  in  what  was  he  mistaken  ? What  did  the 
Romans  do  ? 

5.  Of  what  did  Antiochus  give  Hannibal  the  command  ? Before  he 

had  had  a chance  to  distinguish  himself,  what  occurred  ? 

6.  Why  was  Hannibal  at  that  time  in  great  danger?  Whither  did  he 

flee?  What  did  the  Romans  do? 

7.  What  is  said  of  Prusias  ? Relate  what  followed. 

8.  What  is  said  of  Hannibal’s  character?  What  must  we  remember, 

and  when  ? 

9.  Who  died  in  the  same  year  with  Plannibal  ? What  is  said  of  his 

character  ? Of  what  was  he  accused  ? What  effect  had  that 
upon  him  ? Where  is  it  said  he  died  and  was  buried  ? What 
had  he  sworn  ? 

^o.  What  must  we  not  think  ? What  is  said  of  Philip’s  death  ? Who 
made  the  accusation  ? What  is  said  of  his  friends  ? What  of 
his  love  of  money  ? What  of  his  power?  Of  what  was  an  occa- 
sion easily  found,  and  why  ? Why  was  that  unfortunate  for 
Perseus?  What  battle  was  fought?  Of  what  did  the  Romans 
take  possession  ? To  what  was  Perseus  obliged,  and  what  did 
he  at  last  do  ? 

11.  Describe  his  treatment  at  Rome. 

12.  What  were  the  Romans  now  acknowledged  ? What  had  they  been 

called  upon  to  decide  ? What  is  said  of  the  states  which  were 
subject  to  them  ? 

13.  What  is  said  of  the  wealth  and  luxury  of  the  Romans  ? What  in- 

fluence did  their  wars  with  Greece  have  upon  them,  and  why? 

14.  What  is  said  of  improvements  in  their  city  ? 

15.  What  of  their  houses  ? Upon  what  did  they  pride  themselves  ? 

What  law  was  passed,  and  why  ? 

16.  What  is  said  of  their  religion  and  manners  ? What  of  their  sacri- 

fices ? In  what  amusement  did  they  delight?  What  is  said  of 
their  habits  of  life  ? What  is  said  of  the  writers  who  lived  about 
that  time  ? What  of  other  classes  ? 

CHAPTER  XXVI.— What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? When  did 
it  break  out  ? 

1.  What  is  said  of  that  war,  and  why  ? 

2.  How  did  Masinissa  trouble  the  Carthaginians  ? To  whom  did  they 

complain,  and  why  ? What  did  the  Romans  do? 

3.  For  what  did  the  Romans  secretly  long  ? Who  was  constantly 

urging  it  upon  them  ? How  is  he  described  ? What  had  he 
heard,  and  what  did  he  declare  ? With  what  did  he  end  every 
speecn  he  made  ? 

4.  What  was  alleged  against  the  Carthaginians  ? Whither  did  the 

Carthaginians  dispatch  ambassadors,  and  for  what  ? What  was 


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249 


the  only  answer  given  them?  What  did  they  do  ? Still,  what 
did  the  Romans  do  ? What  did  the  Carthaginians  again  send, 
and  for  what  ? What  were  they  told  ? What  was  soon  after 
sent  to  the  Roman  camp  ? What  now  did  the  Carthaginians 
suppose?  What  other  order  came^? 

5.  What  effect  had  that  on  the  people  of  Carthage  ? What  prepara- 

tion did  they  instantly  make  for  defence  ? Whom  did  they  put 
to  death  ? What  was  every  one  resolved  to  do  ? Relate  the  ac- 
count of  their  exertions. 

6.  Of  what  was  that  the  beginning  ? Of  what  were  the  Carthaginians 

not  quite  destitute  ? What  assistance  did  they  receive  ? On 
what  did  the  Carthaginians  chiefly  rely  ? Describe  the  position 
and  defences  of  the  city. 

7.  What  did  the  Romans  soon  perceive  ? Whom  did  they  send,  and 

for  what  ? What  was  his  character  ? Whose  son  was  he  ? As 
what  had  he  been  adopted  ? 

8.  With  what  belief  did  Scipio  ^Emilianus  set  sail  for  Carthage? 

What  was  it  his  intention  to  do  ? What  did  he  do  on  landing  ? 
What  did  Hasdrubal  now  do,  and  why  ? What  was  the  next 
thing  that  Scipio  did  ? What  then  did  he  set  to  work  to  do  ? 
For  that  purpose,  what  did  he  order  ? How  did  the  Carthagin- 
ians treat  their  work  ? What  is  said  of  its  progress  and  com- 
pletion ? 

9.  What  is  said  of  men  in  great  danger  ? What  did  the  Carthaginians 

now  do?.  What  does  it  seem  they  should  have  done?  To  what 
did  Scipio  still  keep  ? What  did  he  attack  ? What  was  now 
gone?  What  were  they  compelled  to  bear?  What  cannot  we 
wonder  at  ? 

10.  What  had  the  Romans  now  succeeded  in  doing  ? State  what  oc- 

curred after  their  entrance  into  the  city. 

11.  Where  did  the  Romans  once  more  collect  ? What  order  was  given  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  progress  of  the  fire  ? 

12.  How  long  did  the  fire  rage  ? What  is  said  of  those  who  had 

sought  refuge  in  the  citadel?  What  did  they  do  on  the  seventh 
day  ? What  is  said  of  Roman  mercy  ? How  many  left  the 
citadel,  and  to  what  were  they  sentenced?  Who  remained  be- 
hind ? Where  did  they  station  themselves  ? What  did  Scipio 
do,  and  what  is  it  said  the  garrison  did  ? What  was  now  shown  ? 
How?  What  did  Scipio  promise?  What  on  the  next  day  did 
he  do  ? What  is  related  of  Hasdrubal’s  wife  ? 

13.  How  was  Scipio  affected  on  viewing  the  desolation  from  the 

citadel  ? 

14.  What  further  was  done  to  Carthage,  and  according  to  what  de- 

cree? What  is  said  of  it  when  Scipio  left  Africa? 

15.  What  other. city  fell  a prey  to  the  Romans?  For  what  was  it 

famed  ? What  were  taken  to  Rome  ? What  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Romans  ? How  were  they  governed  ? Like  what  ? 

16.  What  did  the  Romans  complete  at  that  period?  Who  distin- 

guished himself  ? What  was  he  called,  and  why  ? What  did 
he  show,  and  how  ? 

17.  Who  are  famous,  and  for  what  ? Relate  what  is  said  of  them  ? 

18.  What  is  said  of  the  Romans  during  these  foreign  wars  ? What  oc- 

curred ? What  further  is  said  of  it  ? 

19.  What  is  said  of  a peculiar  punishment  amongst  the  Romans? 

What  have  we  learned,  and  why  ? 

20.  How  were  the  Roman  dominions  increased  at  that  period  ? 


250 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. — Who  are  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  What  is  the  next  important  point  to  be  noticed  ? 

2.  Who  was  the  rival  of  Hannibal  ? Of  whom  was  he  the  grand- 

father ? Of  whom  the  father?  What  is  said  of  her?  What  of 
her  daughter  ? 

3.  To  do  what  did  Cornelia  take  great  pains?  Of  what  was  she 

proud?  What  anecdote  is  related?  Why  had  she  cause  for 
satisfaction  ? What  is  said  of  Tiberius  ? What  did  his  mother 
persuade  him  to  do  ? What  did  she  say  ? 

4.  As  what  did  Tiberius  offer  himself,  and  when  ? What  was  the 

first  thing  he  did  ? To  prevent  what,  was  that  law  made  ? 
What,  in  relation  to  that  law,  is  said  of  the  rich?  To  what 
were  the  poor  left  ? 

5.  At  whom  were  the  rich  indignant,  and  why?  Plow  was  he 

treated  ? What  did  Tiberius  find  means  to  do  ? 

6.  What,  as  mentioned  in  the  preceding  chapter,  occurred  about  that 

time?  What  did  Tiberius  propose?  What  is  said  of  the  anger 
and  hatred  excited  by  that  proposition  ? When  his  year  of 
office  was  over,  what  did  Tiberius  do,  and  why  ? 

7.  What  is  said  of  the  time  when  the  election  took  place  ? What  did 

the  enemies  of  Tiberius  do  ? 

8.  Of  what  was  Tiberius  afraid  ? What  did  his  friends  do  ? What 

was  told  him,  and  by  whom  ? As  soon  as  he  heard  that,  what 
did  he  do  ? What  is  said  of  a body  of  senators  ? Relate  what 
occurred  to  Tiberius.  Where  was  his  body  thrown,  together 
with  what  ? Who  was  the  chief  enemy  of  Tiberius,  ana  what 
has  been  said  of  him  ? What  was  he  obliged  to  do,  and  why  ? 

9.  Who  returned  to  Rome  about  that  time  ? How  was  he  related  to 

Tiberius?  What,  notwithstanding,  did  he  say?  What  did  he 
oppose  ? What  is  said  of  his  death  ? 

10.  What  must  Cornelia  before  this  have  seen  ? What  did  she  no 

longer  desire  ? To  whom  did  she  write,  and  what  beg  him  to 
do  ? How  is  Caius  described  ? 

11.  What  was  Caius  made,  and  when?  What  did  he  begin  to  do? 

What  did  the  senators  endeavor  to  do,  and  how  ? 

12.  What  did  Caius  try  to  do  ? What  is  said  of  his  enemies  ? Why 

did  the  people  like  him  less  ? What  would  they  not  now  do  ? 

13.  What  did  Caius,  like  Tiberius,  know  t What  was  soon  clear,  and 

why  ? What  is  said  of  dictators  ? On  hearing  of  what  was  pro- 
posed in  the  senate,  what  did  he  do?  Who  was  his  friend  ? 
What  did  he  propose  ? To  do  what,  was  he  unwilling  ? Relate 
what  is  said  of  his  wife’s  efforts  to  stop  him. 

14.  What  did  not  last  long  ? Who  was  killed  ? Whither  did  Caius  es- 

cape, and  with  whom  ? Into  what  did  he  fear  to  fall  ? Finding 
them  close  upon  him,  what  did  he  do  ? What  is  said  of  his 
slave  ? 

15.  What  was  carried  to  the  consul  ? What  reward  had  been  promised 

for  it  ? What  further  is  told  respecting  it  ? What  is  said  of  his 
body?  What  is  stated  of  the  grief  of  Cornelia?  Upon  her 
death,  what  was  done  ? 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  Who  made  himself  famous,  and  when  ? _ To  whom  did  he  leave  his 
dominions  ? What  children  had  Micipsa  ? What  did  he  desire  ? 
How  js  Jugurtha  described  ? What  did  he  desire,  and  what  do 
to  gain  his  end  ? Who  was  filled  with  alarm,  and  why?  To 
whom  did  he  apply,  and  for  what  ? What  did  Tugurtha  then 
do?  What  did  the  senators  say  and  do?  What  could  not 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


251 


Adherbal  do,  and  why  ? What  took  place  between  Adherbal 
andjugurtha?  What  city  was  yielded  up  to  Jugurtha  ? What 
had  he  promised  ? What,  however,  did  he  do  ? 

2.  Of  what  were  the  Romans  forced  to  take  notice  ? What  did  they 

do,  and  when?  Whom  did  Jugurtha  bribe?  To  do  what? 
What  did  he  then  do?  What  is  said  of  his  being  summoned? 
Of  what  crime  was  he  the  instigator  while  at  Rome  ? But  for 
that,  why  is  it  probable  he  never  would  have  been  punished  ? 
Who  committed  the  murder  ? What  was  well  known  ? What  is 
said  of  their  leaving  Rome  ? 

3.  Who  was  made  commander  of  the  Roman  armies?  Whom  did  he 

choose,  and  what  to  be  ? What  was  the  character  of  Metellus  ? 
How  is  Marius  described  ? In  what  were  Metellus  and  Marius 
successful  ? Whom  did  they  bribe,  and  to  do  what  ? What  is 
said  of  Jugurtha’s  situation  at  that  time  ? 

4.  On  what  terms  were  Metellus  and  Marius  during  that  time  ? 

Whither  did  -Marius  propose  to  go,  and  for  what  ? How  did 
Metellus  treat  him,  and  why  ? What,  however,  did  Marius  do  ? 
After  being  chosen  consul,  what  was  the  first  thing  he  did  ? 
How  was  Metellus  rewarded  ? For  what  part  of  the  world  did 
Marius  now  set  out  ? Who  did  he  take  with  him  as  one  of  his 
chief  officers  ? 

5.  What  description  is  given  of  Sylla? 

6.  In  what  manner  did  Marius  and  Jugurtha  begin  the  war?  By 

whom  was  Jugurtha  assisted  ? What  is  said  of  the  success  of 
Marius  ? What  place  did  it  seem  almost  impossible  to  subdue  ? 
In  what  manner  was  it  built  ? How  at  last  was  it  taken  ? 

7.  In  what  did  Jugurtha  take  refuge?  What  is  said  of  Bocchus  ? 

What  had  he  lost,  and  what  did  he  then  begin  to  think?  For 
what  was  Sylla  sent,  and  what  did  he  declare?  Upon  what  did 
Bocchus  decide?  How  did  he  betray  Jugurtha  into  the  hands 
of  the  Romans  ? 

8.  What  is  said  of  Marius’s  return  to  Rome  ? What  is  related  of  his 

triumph?  How  was  Jugurtha  treated  when  the  triumph  was 
over  ? What  are  we  told  of  his  imprisonment  and  death  ? 

9.  Why  did  he  deserve  no  better  fate  ? 

CHAPTER  XXIX. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  What  was  Marius  now  called  to  show  ? From  what  were  the  Ro- 

mans now  in  danger  ? 

2.  What  is  said  of  a former  invasion  by  the  Gauls  ? What  is  said  of 

the  Romans  since  then?  What  did  they  now  consider  them- 
selves? What  is  said  of  their  notions  of  the  world  ? What  did 
they  not  know,  and  of  what  had  they  a very  indistinct  idea  ? 
What  description  is  given  of  the  people  of  the  north  of  Europe 
and  Asia  ? What  was  ordered  by  God  ? 

3.  What,  when  we  first  hear  of  these  tribes,  are  we  inclined  to  think  ? 

Is  this  really  the  case  ? In  what  is  the  difference  discovered  to 
this  day,  and  among  whom  ? What  instance  is  given  ? What 
does  not  enter  our  heads  ? 

4.  Who  threatened  to  invade  Italy  ? Whence  did  they  come  and 

where  appear  ? What  is  it  said  the  Romans  did  for  the  Gauls  ? 
When  did  the  Romans  grow  alarmed  ? 

5.  Who  joined  the  Cimbri  ? Who  crossed  the  Alps  ? Whom  did 

Marius  defeat  ? What  did  he  then  do  ? What  were  sent  to 
Marius,  by  whom  and  for  what  ? What  did  they  threaten  ? 
How  did  Marius  answer  them  ? After  that  answer,  what  was 
done  ? What  is  said  of  the  attack  by  the  Cimbri  ? Why  were 


25 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


they  easily  overcome  ? What  gave  the  Romans  greater  power 
over  them  ? What  further  is  said  of  the  Cimbri  ? What  is  said 
of  Marius  ? 

6.  What  occurred  at  that  period,  and  where?  What  is  said  of  those 
slaves  ? What  is  it  said  a portion  of  them  did  ? How  did  the 
Roman  general  fulfil  his  promise  ? What  did  the  slaves  do  ? 


CHAPTER  XXX. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  What  is  said  of  events,  in  Italy?  By  whom,  and  what,  were  they 

caused  ? What  distinction  had  there  always  been,  and  between 
whom  ? What  reference  to  that  difference  is  found  in  the  New 
Testament  ? 

2.  What  is  said  of  the  Italian  states  ? What  was  Marius  in  favor  of, 

and  why  ? What  opposition  is  observed  in  the  course  pursued 
by  Sylla  and  Marius  ? What  was  he  obliged  to  do,  and  why  ? 
Who  opposed  him  ? When  ? What  did  his  friends  tell  him, 
and  what  did  he  answer  ? 

3.  What  is  it  said  Marius  contrived  ? From  what  was  Metellus  re- 

called ? How  was  he  received  ? Whither  did  Marius  now  go, 
and  where  stay?  What  reason  probably  induced  Marius  to  go 
there  t What  was  the  character  of  Mithridates?  Why  did  not 
Marius  please  him,  and  how  did  he  offend  him  ? How  did 
Mithridates  treat  him  ? Whither  did  Marius  go  ? Of  what  was 
he  destitute,  and  why  ? 

4.  What  a few  years  after  was  brought  forward  ? Who  united  them- 

selves, and  with  what  resolution  ? 

5.  What  is  that  war  called  ? From  what  ? When  did  it  begin,  and 

how  long  continue  ? What  more  is  said  of  it  ? To  what  were 
the  Romans  induced  to  consent  ? 


CHAPTER  XXXI. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  What  broke  out,  and  when  ? How  old  was  Marius?  What  did  he 

think,  and  why  ? What  was  he  resolved  to  do  ? What  war 
broke  out,  and  from  what  cause  ? Who  was  fixed  upon,  and  for 
what  ? How  was  he  engaged  at  the  time  ? What  did  Marius 
do  ? For  what  did  Sylla  immediately  set  out,  and  by  what  was 
he  followed  ? 

2.  What  is  said  of  his  entrance  into  the  city  ? What  was  done  by  the 

inhabitants  ? What  did  Sylla  do,  and  what  threaten  ? What 
followed  ? 

3.  In  the  mean  time,  what  had  Marius  done,  and  why  ? What  is  said 

of  his  being  accused  ? What  of  a reward  ? What  W2S  Marius, 
in  consequence,  obliged  to  do  ? When  did  these  event?  hap- 
pen ? 

4.  With  whom,  and  where  did  Marius  remain  hidden  ? For  what  did 

his  son  leave  him  ? Why  was  Marius  alarmed  ? Whither  did  he 
wander,  and  what  did  he  find  there  ? Who  were  separated,  and 
how  ? Why  was  young  Marius  in  danger  ? How  was  he  saved  ? 
What  did  he  do  when  he  found  his  father  was  gone  ? 

5.  In  what  respect  was  Marius  less  fortunate  than  his  son  ? With 

whom  did  he  meet  ? Why  was  he  the  more  anxious  not  to  be 
discovered  ? What  caused  him  to  leave  the  hut  ? In  what  state, 
and  where  was  he  found  ? What  did  the  soldiers  do  ? What 
the  magistrates  ? Relate  what  followed. 

6.  Who  began  to  repent,  and  of  what  ? . How  did  they  now  treat 

Marius,  and  why  ? Where  did  Marius  land  ? On  what  did  he 
seat  himself?  What  may  we  well  believe,  and  why?  Even  if 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  253 

he  had  been  a good  man,  why  must  Marius  still  have  been 
wretched  ? 

7.  Whilst  Marius  rested  thus  amidst  the  ruins  of  Carthage,  who  ar- 

rived, and  for  what  ? What  was  the  reply  of  Marius  ? Who 
joined  him  ? Whither  did  they  flee  ? What  did  they  hope  to 
hear  ? 

8.  What,  in  the  meanwhile,  had  occurred  at  Rome?.  For  what  had 

Sylla  departed  ? Between  whom  did  disputes  arise?  What  was 
the  name  of  one  of  them  ? What  did  he  do  ? Who  marched  to 
Rome?  Who  joined  them?  What  is  said  of  him?  To  whom 
was  he  not  a friend  ? Why  did  he  support  him  ? What  did  the 
senators  do,  and  why  ? 

9.  What  is  said  of  Marius,  whilst  the  terms  cf  peace  were  being  set- 

tled ? At  what  did  he  stop?  What  was  he  begged  to  do,  but 
what  did  he  say?  Shortly  afterwards,  what  did  he  do  ? What 
orders  were  given  ? What  followed  ? What  came  to  such  a 
pitch  that  Cinna  and  Sertorius  could  endure  it  no  longer?  What 
did  they  agree  to  do  ? What  followed? 

10.  How  did  Marius  revenge  himself  on  Sylla?  What  is  said  of  Cinna 

and  Marius  ? What  had  Marius  always  believed  would  be  the 
case,  and  why  ? What  was  the  omen  ? What  arrived  from 
Sylla  ? With  what  words  did  they  end  ? 

11.  What  were  these  letters  like  to  Marius?  What  did  he  know? 

What  is  related  of  the  state  of  his  mind  ? 

12.  What  is  said  of  his  death  ? 

13.  What  reflection  is  made  upon  his  fate  ? 

CHAPTER  XXXII. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  After  the  death  of  Marius,  who  was  master  of  Italy  ? Of  what  was 

he  afraid,  and  why  ? What  brought  on  the  evil  which  he 
feared  ? What  is  said  of  Sylla’s  success  ? Who  was  sent  to 
command  in  his  place  ? Instead  of  submitting,  what  did  Sylla 
do  ? What  is  said  of  Fimbria’s  soldiers  ? What  only  had  Sylla 
now  to  do  ? 

2.  What  had  Sylla  all  the  while  appeared  to  be  ? What  is  said  of  his 

cruelty  ? How  shall  we  now  see  him  ? 

3.  Who  had  been  taken  out  of  his  way,  and  by  whom  ? Who  still 

were  left  ? What  is  said  of  their  armies  ? What  of  Sylla’s  sol- 
diers ? Who  joined  hi.n  ? What  was  his  age,  and  what  had  he 
done  ? 

4.  What  title  did  Sylla  give  him,  and  why?  What  was  done  as  .Sylla 

drew  near  Italy  ? Who  could  best  have  opposed  him  ? Where 
was  he  ? What  is  said  of  Marius  and  his  friends  ? What  of 
their  party  ? Through  what  hope  did  numbers  join  Sylla  ? 

5.  How  long  was  it  from  the  time  he  refused  to  give  up  his  command, 

till  he  appeared  in  the  neighborhood  of  Rome  ? 

6.  What  is  said  of  the  party  of  Marius  ? What  did  they  order?  .What 

did  that  make  Sylla  anxious  to  do  ? By  what  was  he  resisted  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  battle  which  was  fought  ? 

7.  What  is  said  of  the  general  of  the  Samnites  ? When  Sylla  had 

taken  possession  of  the  city,  what  did  he  order  ? What  did  he 
summon  ? When  they  were  assembled,  what  did  he  do  ? Re- 
late what  followed  at  that  meeting.  What  act  of  cruelty  was 
committed  ? 

8.  What  did  not  Sylla  attempt  to  conceal  ? What  did  he  say  ? What 

occurred  every  day  ? What  is  said  of  them  l Who  assisted 
Sylla?  What  had  he  done  some  time  before,  and  what  did  he 
now  beg  ? 


254 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


9.  What  became  quite  intolerable  ? What  is  said  of  a young  man  ? 
What  did  he  wish  Sylla  to  publish  ? What  was  a person  put  into 
that  list,  said  to  be  ? When  did  Sylla  assemble  the  people,  and 
what  tell  them  ? 

10.  Of  what  did  Sylla  take  possession  ? What  law  did  he  pass  ? 

11.  What  did  he  force  the  Romans  to  make  him,  and  why?  What  is 

said  of  his  laws  ? 

12.  What  did  Sylla  determine  to  give  up?  When  was  he  appointed  to 

the  office,  and  how  long  did  he  hold  it  ? What  did  he  offer  to 
do  ? What  did  no  one  dare  ask  him  ? What  was  he  allowed  to 
do  ? Whither  did  he  retire  ? What  overtook  him  ? What  wss 
the  character  of  his  disease  ? What  must  it  have  rendered  him  ? 
What  is  said  of  his  temper  at  that  time  ? Relate  a case  in  which 
it  showed  itself.  What  is  said  of  Sylla’s  death  ? 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  To  what  must  we  now  go  back  ? 

2.  What  is  said  of  the  parties  into  which  the  state  was  divided  ? 

What  did  Lepidus  desire  to  do?  What  Catulus  ? Who  took 
the  part  of  Catulus  ? What  is  said  of  his  influence  ? What  of 
his  character  ? 

3.  What  broke  out,  and  between  whom  ? What  was  the  result  of  the 

contest  ? Of  what  was  there  no  hope,  and  why  ? By  whom  was 
Sertorius  much  liked  ? What  did  he  wish  to  do  ? What  did  he 
appoint?  What  did  he  establish?  What  did  the  Spaniards 
think,  and  why  ? What  was  the  result  of  the  feeling  of  the 
Spaniards  in  his  favor  ? What  reason  is  given  for  his  opposing 
Sylla  ? 

4.  What  was  Pompey’s  great  ambition,  and  what  did  he  determine  ? 

What  is  it  said  that  Pompey  knew,  and  what  consequently  did 
he  do?  On  what  condition  would  Sertorius  have  submitted^ and 
why?  For  what  had  he  no  reason,  and  why  ? What  is  said  of 
his  grief?  From  whom  had  he  a hope  of  assistance? 

5.  What  had  Mithridates  always  been  ? What  did  he  now  think  ? 

What  was  agreed  upon  between  him  and  Sertorius?  Where  did 
they  carry  on  war  ? What  did  Sertorius  begin  to  suspect?  To 
what  was  he  induced  by  that?  What  did  he  order?  What 
did  he  lose  from  that  time  ? What  is  said  of  one  of  his  gen- 
erals ? 

6.  Who  lost  everything  when  Sertorius  died,  and  why?  What  did 

Perperna  offer  to  do — when,  and  on  what  condition  ? What 
further  is  said  of  those  letters  ; and  what  of  Pompey’s  high- 
mindedness ? 

7.  What  ended  the  war  in  Spain  ? 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  What  was  Pompey  now  called  upon  to  subdue? 

2.  What  is  said  of  the  gladiators  ? Of  what  were  those  amusements 

one  of  the  chief  causes  ? How  did  they  affect  the  character  of 
the  Romans  ? What  occurred  when  a gladiator  was  vanquished  ? 
To  what  were  gladiators  sometimes  bound  ? How  were  they  re- 
warded ? 

3.  Where  did  an  insurrection  begin  ? What  school  did  it  contain  ? 

What  number  escaped,  and  under  whom  did  they  put  them- 
selves ? What  in  a short  time  had  they  done  ? Who  were  sent 
against  them,  and  with  what  success?  What  is  said  of  Spar- 
tacus  and  his  slaves  ? Who  was  now  fixed  upon  to  oppose 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


them  ? What  is  said  of  him  ? What  of  Spartacus  ? What  did 
the  senate  resolve  to  do  ? 

4.  Before  they  could  do  that,  what  occurred  ? What  foreboding  had 

Spartacus?  What  did  he  order,  and  what  say?  What  further 
is  related  of  Spartacus  ? What  was  the  fate  of  his  army  ? What 
message  did  Pompey  send  to  the  senate  ? What  is  the  date  of 
that  battle? 

5.  What  is  said  of  that  boast  of  Pompey  ? How  was  Crassus  paci- 

fied ? What  did  they  each  try  to  do  ? In  what  way  ? What  is 
said  of  an  entertainment  given  by  Pompey  i Of  what  had  Pom- 
pey the  better  chance,  and  why  ? 

6.  Relate  what  is  said  of  those  pirates. 

7.  What  vessels  did  they  rob  ? Whence  had  the  Romans  their  corn  ? 

What  made  them  at  last  determine  to  conquer  the  pirates  ? 
What  is  said  of  Pompey  ? What  must  we  remember  ? 

8.  What  is  generally  agreed  ? What  enormous  power  was  given  him  ? 

What,  if  he  had  wished,  might  he  have  done?  Instead  of  that, 
what  did  he  do  ? How  did  he  dispose  of  the  pirates  ? 

CHAPTER  XXXV. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  To  what  must  we  now  go  back  ? Who  was  for  some  time  the  chief 

general?  For  what  was  he  famous  ? What  is  said  of  his  man- 
agement of  the  war  ? 

2.  What  would  not  Tigranes  consent  to  do  ? What  is  said  of  Lucul- 

lus  being  called  back  to  Rome  ? What  other  changes  were  soon 
made  ? What  power  was  given  him  ? 

3.  To  what  did  some  persons  object  ? What  two  persons  were  in 

favor  of  it  ? 

4.  What  was  Pompey  doing  when  the  news  reached  him  ? What  did 

he  pretend — though  what  ? What  did  he  say  ? 

5.  What  did  he  immediately  do  ? Rehearse  his  successes  in  the  war 

against  Tigranes  and  Mithridates.  What  afterwards  did  he  do  ? 

6.  What  is  not  told  us  in  the  Bible  ? What  do  we  know  from  other 

histories?  What  do  the  books  of  the  Maccabees  describe? 
What  is  said  of  the  government  of  Judaea. 

7.  What  contest  was  going  on  in  Sj'ria^  when  Pompey  invaded  it  ? 

What  were  their  names  ? What  did  both  of  them  do  ? What 
did  Pompey  choose  ? What  city  did  Pompey  besiege?  Who 
had  taken  refuge  there  ? Who  gives  a long  description  of  the 
siege?  Of  what  does  he  speak,  and  what  tell  us?  What  does 
it  seem  Pompey  had,  and  why  ? In  what  did  he  show  no  rever- 
ence? What  has  been  remarked?  What  does  his  after-life 
show  ? 

8.  After  doing  what,  did  Pompey  prepare  to  leave  the  country  ? 

Whom  did  he  take  with  him  ? By  whom,  and  where  was  he 
overtaken  ? What  news  did  they  bring  ? What  is  said  of  his 
death  ? To  whom  was  his  body  sent,  and  by  whom  ? What  did 
Pompey  do  with  it  ? 

9.  What  was  there  now  no  longer  any  call  for,  and  why  ? Whither 

did  he  go,  and  when  ? What  is  said  of  his  arrival  at  Rome  ? 
What  is  related  of  his  triumph  ? What  of  the  treasures  he  had 
taken  ? What  did  him  the  most  honor  ? How  did  he  treat 
them  ? 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  In  what  connection  has  Catiline’s  name  been  mentioned  before  ? 
What  is  observed  of  his  person  and  character  ? What  qualities 


256 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


were  the  cause  of  his  engaging  in  the  conspiracy,  and  why? 
What  was  agreed  upon,  and  between  whom  ? When  was  the 
plot  discovered,  and  by  whom  ? For  what  was  he  distinguished  ? 
What  is  said  of  his  speeches?  What  great  fault  had  he  ? What 
is  said  of  his  disposition  ? What  did  he  not  always  like  to  do  ? 

2.  By  whom  was  Cicero  informed  of  the  plot  ? When  he  had  learned 

the  particulars,  what  did  he  do  ? Relate  what  followed  at  that 
meeting  of  the  senate. 

3.  What  fell  into  Cicero's  hands?  and  what  did  they  prove  ? What  is 

said  of  some  of  the  principal  conspirators  ? What  did  Cicero 
do  ? What  is  said  of  that  action  ? What  is  a curious  instance 
of  the  superstitious  feeling  common  at  that  time?  What  did  he 
cry  out  t What  did  he  not  venture  to  say,  and  why? 

4.  What  was  Catiline’s  wish  ? What  happened  before  he  could  do 

that  ? What  is  said  of  his  bravery  and  death  ? 

, 5.  What  was  all  his  life  a satisfaction  to  Cicero?  What  was  he 
called  ? What  was  it  usual  to  swear  on  giving  up  the  consul- 
ship ? What  did  Cicero  swear?  What  might  Cicero  have 
imagined  ? What  did  after-events  show  ? 

6.  What  is  said  of  the  time  of  Pompey’s  return  to  Rome  ? As  what, 

for  some  time,  did  he  live  ? What  is  said  of  his  ambition  ? 
What  was  a source  of  continual  mortification  to  him  ? Who  was 
his  principal  rival  ? What  appeared  probable,  and  from  what  ? 
Rehearse  what  is  further  said  of  Caesar,  under  this  section. 

7.  What  did  not  show  itself  for  some  time  ? Who  joined  them  ? 

What  agreement  did  they  make?  From  that  alliance,  what 
were  they  called  ? What  did  Caesar  do,  to  render  the  alliance 
still  firmer? 

8.  What  about  this  time  was  Caesar  made  ? What  did  he  induce  the 

senate  to  do,  when  his  office  was-  ended  ? What  was  the  cus- 
tom ? Whom  did  Caesar  offer  to  take  with  him,  and  as  what  ? 
Why  did  Cicero  refuse  ? What  was  his  name?  What  was  his 
character,  and  why  did  he  hate  Cicero  ? What  did  he  do  in 
order  to  be  revenged  upon  him  ? What  was  plainly  seen?  What 
was  Cicero  persuaded  to  do  ? 

9.  How  long  was  Cicero  in  exile  ? Of  what  did  he  complain  ? How 

had  he  been  treated — to  satisfy  what  ? What  did  the  Romans 
begin  to  see  ? What  request  was  granted  ? What  is  said  of  his 
return  to  Rome  ? What  was  done,  and  at  the  expense  of  what  ? 
What  was  shown  him — as  a proof  of  what  ? 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  What  has  been  written  by  Csesar  himself  ? What  did  he  find  a 

hard  task?  What  is  said  of  his  wisdom  and  courage?  Who 
alone  distrusted  him  ? What  did  he  foresee  ? 

2.  What  did  not  satisfy  Caesar  ? On  what  was  his  heart  set  ? What 

people  had  visited  it,  and  for  what  purpose  ? What  is  said  of 
Caesar’s  knowledge  of  the  inhabitants?  What  was  a great 
temptation  ? To  do  so,  what  was  necessary  ? How  was  that 
object  obtained  ? 

3.  What  did  the  triumvirs  still  continue  to  have?  How  is  that 

shown  ? Rehearse  what  is  alleged  of  them  ? 

4.  Whom  are  we  now  to  follow  to  the  end  of  his  life,  and  what  shall 

we  see  ? 

5.  Of  what  did  he  boast  before  leaving  Rome  ? What  is  said  of 

those  countries?  Of  what  was  he  warned,  and  by  whom? 
How  did  Crassus  treat  him  ? What  is  it  said  the  tribute  then 
did? 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


257 


6.  For  what  did  not  Crassus  care  ? What  temple  did  he  plunder,  and 
of  what  ? What  came  at  last?  What  is  said  of  his  army  ? Of 
his  son  ? Of  himself  ? What  was  carried  to  the  Parthian  king  ? 
With  what  did  he  fill  it,  and  what  exclaim  ? 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  What  did  Caesar  never  forget  ? Accordingly,  what  did  he  do  ? 

What  at  that  time  were  I ranee  and  England  called? 

2.  How  are  the  natives  of  Britain  desciibed  ? 

3.  What  is  said  of  this  first  expedition  ? With  what  was  Caesar  satis- 

fied ? 

4.  What  did  he  do  the  next  year  ? What  did  the  Britons  attempt  in 

vain?  As  far  as  what,  did  Caesar  go?  To  what  place  did  he 
come?  How  did  the  Britons  think  to  stop  him  ? What  was  that 
place  afterwards  called  ? What,  notwithstanding,  did  Caesar 
do  ? What  was  he  then  able  to  do  ? What  did  Caesar  grant, 
and  why  ? What  further  are  we  told  of  that  invasion  ? What 
did  the  Britons  give  up,  and  when  ? 

CHAPTER  XXXIX.— What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  What  is  said  of  Caesar  and  Pompey  ? What  of  the  two  ambitious 

persons?  Whose  death  is  mentioned  ? What  was  destroyed  by 
her  death  ? What  is  said  of  her  ? Whom  did  Pompey  then 
marry?  What  after  that  were  the  relations  between  Ca-sar  and 
Pompey  ? 

2.  What  now  was  the  state  of  Rome  ? Who  were  constantly  disput- 

ing ? What  was  the  conduct  of  their  followers  < Who  was 
killed  ? What  did  persons  say  ? What  was  seen  by  every  one  ? 
What,  therefore,  was  proposed  ? Who  was  joined  with  him  ? 

3.  What  now  was  Pompey  ? What  did  the  nobles  do,  and  why  ? 

What  did  they  propose,  and  for  what  purpose  ? To  what  would 
not  Pompey  consent,  and  why  ? What  law  did  he  have  passed  ? 
Whom  did  that  alarm,  and  why  ? What  order  was  sent  to 
Caesar?  What  was  also  declared?  Where  was  Caesar  at  that 
time?  What  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  Alps?  What  news 
was  brought  to  Caesar,  and  by  whom  ? Who  was  one  of  them  ? 
What  is  said  of  him  ? 

4.  What  was  Caesar  resolved  not  to  do  ? What  is  he  said  to  have 

been  in  appearance — and  whilst  what  ? Whom  did  he  enter- 
tain, when,  and  how?  As  evening  drew  on,  what  did  he  do? 
Into  what  did  he  throw  himself?  Whither  did  he  drive? 
Whither  did  he  then  proceed  ? Rehearse  what  is  related  of 
Caesar  when  he  arrived  there.  What  was  a most  important  step, 
and  why  ? 

5.  Who  were  alarmed,  and  when  ? Until  then,  what  had  Pompey  be- 

lieved l 

6.  What  did  Cicero  advise,  and  what  ask  ? What  was  Pompey’s  re- 

ply ? What  course  did  he  now  pursue  ? 

7.  What  is  said  of  Caesar’s  entry  into  Rome  ? Where  did  Cicero  re- 

main ? Who  visited  him,  and  for  what  ? What  success  had 
he?  What  was  Caesar’s  next  object?  Tell  where  he  went  for 
that  purpose,  and  what  occurred  there. 

CHAPTER  XL. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  What  was  a great  triumph  to  Caesar?  What  was  certain,  and  what 
did  he  therefore  do?  Whither  had  Pompey  gone  ? What  did 
he  and  his  friends  collect,  and  where  ? Whilst  they  were  thus 
engaged,  what  did  Caesar  do?  Whither  did  he  himself  go? 


>58  HISTORY  OF  ROME. 

What  is  said  of  Csesar’s  good  fortune?  Whither  did  he  return, 
and  what  receive  ? What  is  said  of  his  dictatorship  ? 

2.  What  had  Pompey  accomplished  by  this  time?  Who  were  on  his 

side  ? What  two  men  are  mentioned?  Of  all,  whom  did  Caesar 
most  regret?  What  did  not  prevent  Brutus  from  taking  part 
against  Caesar  ? What  did  he  give  up,  and  for  what  i 

3.  Whither  did  Caesar  sail,  and  with  what  purpose?  What  was  he 

obliged  to  leave,  and  where  ? Why  ? Who  remained  with  the 
troops  ? What  was  the  agreement  ? At  what  delay  did  Caesar 
become  impatient  ? How  did  he  disguise  himself  ? What  did 
he  go  on  board,  and  with  what  intention  ? What  suddenly  oc- 
curred ? What  is  said  of  the  master  of  the  boat?  What  did 
Caesar  then  do  and  say  ? What  was  he  obliged  to  do  ? In  what 
did  Antony  soon  afterwards  succeed? 

4.  Whither  did  Caesar  go  to  besiege  Pompey?  What  is  said  of 

Caesar’s  men  ? What  of  Pompey’s  soldiers  ? What  was  done  by 
Caesar’s  soldiers — to  convince  Pompey  of  what  ? What  word 
did  they  send  ? What,  however,  were  they  obliged  to  do,  and 
why  ? Whither  did  Pompey  follow  Caesar  ? Where  was  a battle 
fought,  and  in  what  year? 

5.  What  is  remarked  of  the  plains  of  Pharsalia  ? To  what  was  Pom- 

pey persuaded  ? Of  what  were  his  men  sure,  and  how  did  they 
amuse  themselves?  What  had  they  settled?  How  far  had 
some  gone  ? What  did  Caesar  tell  his  troops,  and  why  ? 

6.  What  was  the  result  of  that  mode  of  attack  ? How  was  Pompey 

affected  by  their  conduct  ? On  learning  that  his  army  was  de- 
feated, what  did  he  do  ? Of  what  did  he  leave  Caesar  to  take 
possession  ? What  is  said  of  Caesar’s  conduct  ? What  orders 
did  he  give  ? How  did  he  dispose  of  Pompey’s  letters  ? What 
did  he  say  he  preferred?  In  his  moment  of  triumph,  of  what 
had  he  no  thought?  What  was  his  conduct  towards  Brutus? 
What  effect  had  that  upon  Brutus? 

7.  What  is  said  of  Pompey’s  friends  after  the  battle?  What  two  are 

mentioned,  and  whither  did  they  go  ? Whither,  and  accom- 
panied by  whom,  did  Pompey  himself  go?  With  whom  did  he 
hope  to  find  safety  ? What  are  we  told  of  the  father  of  that 
prince  ? What,  therefore,  was  natural  ? By  whom  was  Ptolemy 
now  controlled  ? What  opinion  did  they  give? 

8.  Who  were  sent  to  meet  Pompey  ? What  is  related  of  the  parting 

of  Cornelia  and  Pompey?  What  occurred  between  Pompey  and 
the  centurion  ? What  had  Pompey  written  ? Relate  what 
transpired  under  the  observation  of  Cornelia.  What  is  stated  of 
his  head?  What  of  his  body?  How  was  it  treated  by  the  in- 
habitants of  the  country  ? What  is  said  of  one  person  ? Who 
was  that,  and  what  did  he  do  ? Who  came  by  at  the  time  ? 

9.  Whither  did  Caesar  follow  Pompey  ? How  was  he  welcomed,  and 

by  whom  ? How  was  Caesar  affected  by  the  sight  ? 

10.  Of  what  did  Caesar  now  take  advantage  ? What  had  the  late  king 

ordered?  Who  applied  to  Caesar  for  his  help?  What  had  she 
been  forced  to  do  ? What  is  said  of  her  beauty  ? Of  what  was 
she  destitute,  and  for  what  only  did  she  care  ? To  support  her 
cause,  what  did  Caesar  do  ? 

11.  What  is  that  war  called?  In  the  course  of  it  what  was  burnt? 

How  many  volumes  did  it  contain  ? Who  was  killed,  and  who 
crowned  ? Who  was  made  king  ? In  order  to  reign  alone,  what 
did  Cleopatra  do  ? What  seemed  natural  to  expect?  What  is 
said  of  his  further  stay  in  Egypt  ? What  forced  him  to  exert 
himself  ? What  did  he  do  in  a very  short  space  of  time  ? In 
what  words  did  he  describe  his  victory  ? 


HISTORY  OF  ROME.  259 


CHAPTER  XLI. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  By  whom  was  Caesar  met,  and  when  ? Why  had  he  reason  to  fear 

his  return  ? How  did  Caesar  receive  him  ? Where  did  Cicero 
choose  to  remain,  and  why  ? With  what  did  he  occupy  him- 
self ? 

2.  From  what  arose  Caesar’s  chief  trouble  ? From  whose  conduct  es- 

pecially ? What  is  said  of  him  ? Why  was  Caesar  able  to  settle 
those  disturbances  ? 

3.  What  seemed  to  be  Caesar’s  wish  ? Whatwas  still  kept  up  against 

him,  and  by  whom?  Who  was  his  chief  enemy?  Where  was 
he,  and  with  whom  ? When  did  Caesar  set  out,  and  for  what  ? 
What  followed  him  ? Where  was  Cato  ? What  was  he  unable 
to  bear?  What  did  he  detennine  to  do?  What  did  he  advise 
his  friends  to  do  ? What  the  inhabitants  ? What  did  he  himself 
do?  On  going  to  his  room,  what  did  he  order?  The  sword 
being  brought,  what  did  he  do  i What  is  said  of  the  book  he 
chose?  What  was  it  upon  ? What  must  have  been  its  influence 
on  Cato,  and  why  ? What  is  remarked  of  Plato  and  his  follow- 
ers? What  of  a little  Christian  child?  What  would  it  have 
taught  him  ? What  further  is  related  of  Cato? 

4.  What  did  Csesar  express,  and  what  explain  ? 

5.  What  other  enemy  remained  for  Caesar  to  conquer?  Where  was 

he,  and  with  whom  ? What  was  Caesar  afraid  to  do  ? What 
further  is  stated  of  this  contest  ? 

CHAPTER  XLII. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  On  Caesar’s  return  to  Rome,  what  was  he  made  ? What  were  be- 

stowed upon  him  ? What  is  remarked  of  one  of  those  titles  ? 
What  of  Caesar’s  statue  ? What  was  named  after  him  ? What 
is  remarked  of  earthly  ambition  ? What  was  Caesar’s  wish  ? 
What  did  not  satisfy  him,  and  why  ? How  did  he  occupy  him- 
self ? What  in  every  way  did  he  try  to  do?  What  amongst 
other  things  did  he  cause  to  be  done  ? What  is  said  of 
Corinth  ? 

2.  What  is  said  of  some  instances  of  great  pride  ? What  instance  is 

related  ? What  is  stated  of  a crown  ? What  was  evident  ? 

3.  What  made  many  persons  angry,  and  why  ? Who  is  mentioned  in 

particular,  and  what  is  staled  of  him  ? What  number  of  persons 
joined  him  ? Who  was  one  of  the  chief  of  them  ? What  is  said 
of  his  motives  ? What  did  he  persuade  Brutus  ? What  is  stated 
of  other  conspirators  ? What  is  supposed  of  all,  except  Brutus  ? 

4.  For  what  was  an  opportunity  soon  found  ? When  was  the  senate 

to  meet?  At  that  meeting  what  was  to  be  proposed?  What 
had  a prophecy  declared  ? What  was  the  intention  of  the  con- 
spirators ? Relate  what  is  stated  of  the  wife  of  Brutus.  Of  what 
does  Portia  seem  to  have  had  as  little  idea  as  Brutus  ? 

5.  What  was  not  Csesar  left  without  ? Who  had  cautioned  him,  and 

of  what  ? What  did  his  wife  entreat  him  not  to  do,  and  why  ? 
What  is  related  of  one  of  the  conspirators  ? 

6.  As  Csesar  passed  through  the  street,  who  met  him  ? What  con- 

versation occurred  ? What  was  thrust  into  Csesar’ s hand  ? 
How  did  the  conspirators  await  his  approach,  and  why?  Who 
came  up  to  one  of  them,  and  what  did  he  say  ? What  did  he 
mean?  What  is  said  of  another  senator?  Of  what  were  the 
conspirators  nearly  certain — when  ? What  did  Csesar  enter,  and 
where  stand?  Whom  did  one  of  the  conspirators  draw  aside, 
and  for  what  ? What  did  the  others  do  ? What  would  not 
Csesar  agree  to?  What  was  the  signal  agreed  upon?  What  is 


:6o 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


stated  of  Casca  ? What  occurred  the  next  instant?  How  did 
Csesar  defend  himself — till  what?  Recite  what  followed,  to  the 
end  of  the  section. 

CHAPTER  XLIII. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  What  is  perplexing  to  us,  and  why  ? What  must  we  bear  in  mind  ? 

What  had  Brutus  never  learned  ? What  is  said  of  persons  of  the 
present  time  ? 

2.  What  occurred  in  the  senate-house  ? How  did  the  senators  treat 

him  ? What  is  said  of  Czesar's  friends  and  the  common  people? 
What  of  Brutus,  Cassius,  and  their  companions  ? 

3.  What  did  Brutus  do  the  next  day  ? What  could  he  discover? 

What  did  no  one  propose,  and  what  was  not  at  all  decided  ? 
For  what  was  there  a meeting  of  the  senators?  By  whom,  and 
how,  was  the  point  set  at  rest  ? When  that  was  agreed  upon, 
what  did  the  conspirators  do  ? 

4.  What  did  the  senate  decree  ? Against  whom  was  a strong  feeling 

excited,  and  when  ? What  did  the  people  then  see  ? To  whom 
did  Csesar  bequeath  the  greater  portion  of  his  estate  ? What  if 
Octavius  died  without  heirs  ? 

5.  What  did  Antony  endeavor  to  increase,  and  on  what  occasion  ? 

What  is  said  of  Caesar’s  body?  What  did  Antony  do?  What 
is  related  of  his  speech?  What  did  the  citizens  do?  What  is 
stated  of  many  ladies  of  rank  ? 

6.  Who  left  the  city,  and  why  ? Whither  did  Brutus  go?  Whither 

Cassius  ? 

7.  What  is  said  of  Antony’s  power?  What  were  in  his  possession,  and 

what  did  he  pretend?  What  in  fact  did  he  do  ? What  is  said 
of  Cicero  ? What  of  his  speeches  ? 

8.  What  worse  enemy  than  Cicero,  had  Antony  to  dread?  What  is 

stated  of  his  age  ? What  does  his  conduct  at  that  period  show  ? 
When,  and  for  what,  did  he  come  to  Rome?  What  had  Antony 
done  with  it  ? 

9.  From  what  had  great  discontent  arisen  ? What  gained  Octavius 

great  favor?  What  is  said  of  Cicero?  What  was  soon  clear? 
What  did  Antony  begin  to  do,  and  under  what  pretence?  What 
did  Octavius  induce  the  senate  to  do  ? For  what  was  an  army 
given  him  ? 

10.  Between  whom  was  war  carried  on  vigorously,  and  where  ? Who 

was  defeated  ? What  now  had  Octavius  gained,  and  what  did 
he  force  the  senate  to  do  ? What  law  was  immediately  passed  ? 
What  was  the  consequence  ? After  that,  what  did  Octavius  see 
and  think?  What,  accordingly,  did  he  propose?  When  did 
that  meeting  take  place  ? "What  is  said  of  the  arrangement  then 
made  ? 

11.  Who  formed  the  second  triumvirate?  What  were  they  to  do? 

Whose  favor  were  they  to  gain,  and  how  ? 

12.  What  did  they  take  into  their  hands  ? What  did  they  determine 

to  do  ? What  list  was  made  ? What  made  no  difference  ? Who 
was  givch  up  by  Lepidus  ? By  Antony  ? By  Octavius  ? 

13.  After  that  agreement,  whither  did  they  go  ? What  order  did  they 

give  their  soldiers  ? What  was  a tribune  forced  to  propose  ? 

14.  What  proclamation  was  set  forth  ? To  whom  were  rewards  of- 

fered ? What  followed  ? 

15.  Where  was  Cicero  when  the  list  of  the  proscribed  was  published  ? 

Rehearse  what  is  related  of  him.  What  was  cut  off,  and  at 
whose  desire  ? What  is  related  of  his  head  ? 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


26l 


CHAPTER  XLIV. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  In  what  had  they  been  engaged  while  the  events  just  described 

were  passing?  Where  did  they  meet,  and  when  ? What  did 
they  agree  to  do  ? By  whom  were  they  assisted  ? On  hearing 
of  the  death  of  Caesar,  what  had  he  done  ? 

2.  Why  must  Brutus  by  this  time  have  been  very  unhappy  ? Relate 

what  is  said  of  his  trials,  to  the  end  of  the  section. 

3.  What  only  had  Brutus  now  to  cheer  him  ? Relate  an  occurrence 

which  increased  the  weight  upon  his  spirits.  What  soon  after 
was  he  forced  to  do?  What  is  related  of  the  battle?  What 
mistake  did  Cassius  make  ? What  is  stated  of  his  death  ? How 
was  Brutus  affected  by  it  ? What  soon  afterwards  was  Brutus 
persuaded  to  do  i 

4.  Where  did  it  take  place,  and  when  ? What  again  appeared  to 

Brutus  ? What  was  the  result  of  the  battle  ? What  is  related 
of  a friend  of  Brutus  ? What  did  Brutus  now  see,  and  what  re- 
solve ? Whom  did  he  entreat — to  do  what  ? 

CHAPTER  XLV. — What  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  How  was  the  government  of  the  empire  divided  ? What  was  not 

to  be  supposed  ? What  is  said  of  the  history  of  the  period  that 
follows?  On  what  was  Octavius  bent?  What  was  such  as  to 
put  few  hinderances  in  his  way  ? What  is  said  of  Lepidus  ? 
What  did  Antony  seem  to  have  lost  ? What  was  the  cause  of 
that  ? Before  whom  was  she  summoned,  and  for  what  ? What 
followed  on  her  arrival  ? 

2.  Who  endeavored  to  recall  him  to  Italy?  How  ? How  did  Antony 

treat  her  call  for  his  assistance  ? When  was  he  induced  to  exert 
himself,  and  what  was  thought  at  that  time  ? Before  he  could 
reach  her,  what  had  taken  place  ? What  did  Octavius  now  pro- 
pose ? What  is  stated  of  her  ? Why  was  she  forced  to  marry 
Antony  ? 

3.  Who  now  joined  their  forces,  and  for  what  ? What,  however,  did 

they  soon  do  ? Whither  did  Antony  then  go,  and  what  is  said 
of  his  life  there?  What  did  not  last  very  long?  What  was 
caused  by  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  again  ? At  what  was 
Antony  very  angry  ? But  for  Octavia,  what  would  there  have 
been  ? What  did  she  do  ? What  was  agreed  upon  between 
them  ? How  is  it  said  Octavius  went  on  ? What  did  he  con- 
trive to  do?  Whither  did  Lepidus  go — without  what  ? What 
was  he  made  ? What  is  said  of  Sextus  Pompeius  ? 

4.  What  king  took  part  in  these  wars  ? What  is  related  of  him  ? 

CHAPTER  XLVI. — Who  are  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  In  what  was  Antony  very  unsuccessful  ? Why  did  not  that  grieve 

him  much  ? 

2.  What  is  related  of  his  wife  ? How  did  Antony  treat  her  ? What 

at  last  did  he  declare  ? What,  accordingly,  did  he  do  ? 

3.  After  that.insult,  what  did  Octavius  do?  What  must  have  turned 

Antony’s  head  ? Why  ? 

4.  Who  encouraged  him — in  what  ? What  is  said  of  their  mode  of 

life,  &c.  ? For  what  did  they  seem  principally  to  live?  On  one 
occasion,  what  did  Cleopatra  do  ? What  is  said  of  Antony  in 
the  midst  of  this  luxury  ? Of  whom  was  he  afraid,  and  what 
did  he  at  one  time  think  ? 

5.  What,  all  the  time,  was  Octavius  doing  ? What  did  he  assemble, 

and  when  ? What  did  Antony  and  Cleopatra  do  ? What  is 
stated  of  Antony’s  power  ? What  of  kings  who  followed  him, 

18 


262 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


and  of  others  who  sent  him  forces  ? What  had  not  Octavius  ? 
What  is  stated  of  his  fleet  ? 

6.  What  was  a peculiar  advantage,  and  why? 

7.  To  what  was  Antony  doomed  ? Who  was  that  ? What  is  stated 

of  her? 

8.  What  were  Antony’s  feelings  on  hearing  of  her  desertion  ? Yet 

how  did  he  act  ? What  further  is  related  of  him  at  that  time  ? 

9.  What  decided  Antony’s  fate?  What  did  he  try  in  vain  to  do? 

What  was  seen  by  Cleopatra  ? What  scheme  did  she  form  ? 
What  was  impossible,  and  why  ? Asa  last  hope,  what  did  she 
do  ? What  was  the  answer  of  Octavius  ? What  could  she  not 
do,  and  why  ? What  orders  did  she  give  ? 

10.  When  Octavius  approached  Alexandria,  what  did  Cleopatra  do  ? 

What  had  Antony  seen  reason  to  suspect  ? By  whom  was  he 
deserted,  and  when  ? Whither  did  he  return,  and  in  what 
state?  What  did  he  intend  ? What  news  was  brought ? 

11.  What  is  said  of  his  affection?  What  did  he  declare,  and  what 

order?  What  did  the  slave  do?  What  did  Antony  then  do  ? 
What  was  he  told  ? What  further  is  related  of  Antony  ? 

12.  Where  did  Cleopatra  think  herself  secure?  How  was  she  taken 

prisoner?  How  was  she  treated,  and  what  allowed  ? By  what 
for  a while  was  she  comforted  ? What  thought  preyed  upon  her 
mind  ? For  whom  did  she  send,  and  what  give  him  ? What 
was  hinted  by  one  of  her  servants  ? How  was  she  affected  by 
that,  and  what  did  she  do  ? What  did  she  tell  Octavius  ? What 
did  she  soon  learn  ? What  did  she  then  resolve  ? For  what  did 
she  beg  ? The  request  being  granted,  what  did  she  do  ? What 
further  is  related  in  this  section  ? 

13.  Who  soon  afterwards  arrived  ? _ What  did  he  see  ? How  had  she 

killed  herself?  What  is  said  of  Iras  ? What  of  Charmian  ? 
What  did  the  messenger  of  Octavius  ask  ? What  was  the  reply 
of  Charmian  ? 


CHAPTER  XLVII. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  With  what  does  the  history  of  the  Roman  republic  end  ? By  what 

were  the  Romans  from  that  time  governed  ? Who  was  the  first 
emperor?  What  is  stated  in  regard  to  that  power ? With  whose 
consent  was  that  done,  and  why?  What  were  allowed  Augus- 
tus ? What  was  called  after  his  name?  What  is  said  of  many 
Roman  emperors  ? What  of  others  ? What  of  the  few  who 
really  tried  to  do  right  ? 

2.  What  is  said  of  the  really  important  events  of  those  times?  What 

great  event  occurred  in  the  reign  of  Augustus  Caesar  ? 

3.  Rehearse  the  whole  of  this  section. 

4.  To  what  must  we  return?  What  is  related  of  the  character  of 

Augustus  ? What  has  been  celebrated — as  what  ? What  great 
friend  had  Augustus  ? Of  whom  was  he  the  patron  ? What 
further  is  related  of  him  ? What  celebrated  writers  are  men- 
tioned ? 

5.  What  is  said  of  the  reign  of  Augustus  ? What  were  formed  against 

him  ? Where  was  he  obliged  to  carry  on  wars  ? What  is  stated 
of  the  conspiracies  ? What  of  the  wars  ? 

6.  What  is  said  of  the  latter  days  of  Augustus  ? In  what  was  he  un- 

happy? How  often  had  he  been  married  ? What  was  the  name 
of  his  first  wife  ? The  second  ? The  third  ? What  children 
had  they?  What  was  the  character  of  Livia?  What  is  said  of 
the  death  of  Drusus  ? What  was  afterwards  proposed  ? What 
was  the  character  of  Julia  ? Of  whom  was  Tiberius  jealous,  and 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


263 


why  ? What  further  is  related  of  Julia  and  Augustus  in  this 
section  ? 

7.  What  is  stated  of  the  health  of  Augustus  ? What  reflection  is 
made  upon  his  state?  What  never  left  him  ? What  further  is 
related  of  him  t 

CHAPTER  XL VIII. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  Whom  did  he  succeed,  and  at  what  age?  What  had  he  shown, 

and  when  ? What  is  said  of  his  character  ? What  did  no  one 
know  ? 

2.  Whom  did  he  most  hate?  How  is  Germanicus  described?  To 

what  had  Tiberius  been  forced  ? What  made  Tiberius  his 
enemy  ? What  is  stated  of  his  soldiers  ? What  did  all  his  ac- 
tions show  ? From  what  did  he  suffer,  and  how  die  ? What  did 
every  one  believe  ? What  is  said  of  the  conduct  of  Tiberius  ? 
To  what  was  he  able  to  give  up  all  his  time,  and  why  ? What 
did  he  become  ? For  whom  only  had  he  any  real  regard  ? By 
whom  was  he  governed  ? 

3.  What  did  Sejanus  wish  ? Whom  did  he  persuade — to  do  what  ? 

Whom  did  he  murder?  Who  was  poisoned?  Who  else  were 
put  to  death  ? What  effect  had  his  cruelty  on  many  ? Who 
escaped  ? 

4.  What  is  stated  of  Tiberius,  all  this  time  ? How  did  every  one  re- 

gard him  ? 

5.  What  did  Tiberius  find  out  ? What  further  is  related  of  Sejanus  ? 

6.  What  is  said  of  Tiberius,  when  Sejanus  was  dead  ? For  what 

cause  were  some  killed?  For  what,  an  old  woman  ? For  what 
did  another  suffer?  What  is  said  of  the  prisons  ? What  orders 
at  length  were  given?  What  was  the  wretched  state  of  Tibe- 
rius ? 

7.  What  happened  as  age  crept  upon  him  ? 

8.  Who  was  then  proclaimed  emperor  ? What  occurred,  to  his  great 

horror  ? What  did  he  think  ? Whom  did  he  consult,  and  what 
was  agreed  ? What,  accordingly,  was  done  ? 

9.  What  is  remarked  of  such  crimes  ? What  can  we  more  fully  under- 

stand— when  ? 

10.  What  is  remarked  of  the  death  of  our  Saviour  ? What  was  written 
to  Tiberius,  and  by  whom  ? What  was  proposed  by  Tiberius  ? 

CHAPTER  XLIX. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  What  is  not  pleasant  ? How  are  Tiberius  and  Caligula  compared  ? 

What  is  said  of  the  first  few  months  of  Caligula’s  reign?  What 
may  we  hope  really  was  the  case,  and  why  ? Mention  some  of 
the  stories  related  of  him. 

2.  What  is  related  of  his  extravagance  ? 

3.  What  is  related  of  his  cruelty  ? 

4.  What  was  the  duration  of  his  tyranny  What  is  related  of  his 

death  ? 

5.  What  may  it  be  interesting  to  know  ? 

6.  What  do  we  read,  and  where  ? What  is  said  there  ? Whose  claim 

was  disputed,  and  by  whom?  To  whom  did  they  appeal? 
How  aid  he  determine  ? Where  is  that  division  referred  to  ? 
Of  what  does  that  make  mention  ? What  is  noticed  of  Herod 
Antipas  ? 

7.  What  happened  when  Archelaus  was  dead?  How  was  Palestine 

then  governed  ? When  was  there  a farther  change  ? 

8.  Who  was  living  at  Rome,  and  when  ? How  was  he  treated  by 

Tiberius  and  Caligula?  Who  was  now  dead  ? What  was  pro- 


264 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


posed  by  Caligula  ? What  is  said  of  Herod  Antipas  ? What 
was  he  told,  and  by  whom  ? 

9.  At  what  was  Caligula  angry  ? Instead  of  making  him  king,  what 
did  he  do  ? 

10.  What  is  related  of  Pontius  Pilate  ? 

11.  What  did  Caligula  endeavor  to  make  the  Jews  do?  Why  was  it 

not  done  ? 

CHAPTER  L. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  What  was  his  age?  What  is  said  of  his  health  and  mind?  W’hat 

is  there  reason  to  think  ? Of  what  was  he  fond,  and  how  did  he 
employ  himself  ? What  is  said  of  his  books  ? 

2.  What  had  no  Roman  army  done  ? Where  is  it  said  Claudius  went  ? 

What  generals  did  he  leave  there,  and  for  what  ? What  is  said 
of  them  ? 

3.  How  often  was  Claudius  married  ? What  was  the  name  of  his 

third  wife  ? What  is  related  of  her?  After  her  death  whom  did 
he  marry?  What  was  her  character?  What  child  had  she? 
Was  he  the  son  of  Claudius  ? On  what  had  Agrippina  set  her 
heart  ? To  gain  her  point,  what  did  she  do  ? What  did  she  dis- 
cover ? What  plot  did  she  form  ? 

4.  What  is  stated  of  Herod  Agrippa? 

5.  In  what  is  the  history  of  his  death  given  ? What  child  did  he 

leave  ? To  what  did  he  not  succeed,  and  why  ? When  he  grew 
up,  what  occurred  ? What  does  that  explain  ? 

CHAPTER  LI. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  What  is  said  of  the  beginning  of  his  reign  ? By  whom  was  he 

guided,  and  how  long?  How  did  he  govern  during  that  time  ? 
As  what  is  Seneca  famed  ? What  is  said  of  his  books,  and  why  ? 
What  is  difficult  to  believe?  What,  however,  does  the  fact 
show  ? What  is  stated  of  Nero’s  mother  and  relations?  What 
may  we  imagine  ? 

2.  By  wnat  was  Nero’s  first  crime  caused?  What  did  he  order,  and 

why?  What  after  this  showed  itself?  Whom  did  he  hate,  and 
why  ? What  did  he  determine  ? Where  did  he  cause  her  to  be 
taken,  and  in  what  ? How  did  she  save  herself  ? What  was 
then  done  to  her,  by  whose  command,  and  with  whose  consent  ? 
How  was  Nero  affected  by  that  crime  ? In  order  to  forget  it, 
what  did  he  do  ? 

3.  What  is  said  of  Burrhus  and  Seneca  ? What  of  Nero,  after  they 

were  gone  ? 

4.  Whom  did  he  send  away?  What  is  said  of  her?  Whom  did  he 

then  marry  ? Whom  did  he  collect  around  him  ? 

5.  What  is  said  of  his  vanity  ? What  did  he  fancy  himself  ? In  what 

did  he  take  delight,  and  what  fancy  ? Whither  did  he  travel, 
and  for  what  purpose  ? How  was  he  treated  wherever  he  went, 
and  why  ? What  must  sometimes  have  been  difficult  ? 

6.  What  noted  event  is  mentioned  ? What  do  some  think  ? What  is 

said  of  him  ? On  whom  was  the  blame  cast  ? What  did  Nero 
begin  to  do?  Relate  the  different  ways  in  which  they  were  put 
to  death.  How  did  Nero  amuse  himself  ? 

7.  Who  about  this  time  came  to  Rome  ? What  do  we  learn,  and  from 

what  ? What  was  he  allowed  ? What  has  been  thought  likely, 
and  why  ? What  do  we  learn  besides  ? What  is  said  of  the 
name  Caesar  ? What  does  St.  Paul  again  say  ? 

8.  When  was  his  first  visit  made  ? When  the  second  ? Relate  what 

is  said  of  his  second  visit. 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


265 


9.  What  is  said  of  his  sentence  ? What  of  his  death  ? What  of  the 
death  of  St.  Peter  ? 

10.  How  did  Nero  rebuild  Rome,  and  for  what  purpose? 

11.  On  what  did  he  spare  no.  expense  ? What  was  it  called  ? How  is 

it  described  i What  did  he  say  when  it  was  finished  ? 

12.  Who  was  accused  of  conspiring  against  him?  What  was  he  al- 

lowed as  a favor?  What  further  is  said  of  his  death  l What  is 
said  of  his  wife  ? What  relative  of  Seneca’s  was  also  killed,  and 
why  ? What  proofs  are  given  of  their  great  strength  of  mind  ? 

13.  After  this,  who  died,  and  in  consequence  of  what  ? What  broke 

out,  and  when  ? What  is  said  of  the  soldiers  stationed  there  ? 
How  was  Nero  affected  by  it  ? Who  was  proclaimed  at  Rome  ? 
Whither  did  Nero  flee  ? What  is  said  of  him  while  there  ? 
What  was  the  manner  of  his  death  i How  long  did  he  reign, 
and  what  was  his  age  ? 

14.  What  wars  happened  in  the  reign  of  Nero  ? 

CHAPTER  LII. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

1.  How  long  did  he  reign  ? What  is  said  of  his  age  ? Why  was  he 

not  liked  ? Who  had  the  greatest  influence  over  him  i What  is 
said  of  their  advice  ? 

2.  What  did  Galba  imagine  ? What,  accordingly,  did  he  do  ? What 

promise  did  Galba  neglect  to  fulfil  ? Who  tried  to  form  a con- 
spiracy, and  amongst  whom  ? What  is  related  of  the  plot  ? 
What  of  Galba  and  others  ? 

CHAPTER  LIII. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter? 

How  long  did  he  reign  ? What  is  stated  of  his  disposition  ? What  was 
now  the  practice  of  the  soldiers  ? What  is  related  of  the  legions 
in  Germany  ? What  was  the  result  of  the  struggle  between  Otho 
and  Vitellius  ? 

CHAPTER  LIV. — Who  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter  ? 

1.  What  is  remarked  of . his  character  ? What  of  his  one  great  pleas- 

ure ? How  long  did  he  reign  ? Who  was  then  chosen  ? 

2.  For  what  is  the  reign  of  Vespasian  remarkable  ? 

3.  What  was  prophesied  ? What  is  said  of  a new  subject  ? 

4.  Who  left  Judsea,  and  for  what  ? Who  remained  ? 

5.  What  is  stated  of  those  princes  ? 

6.  What  defence  did  the  Jews  make  ? What  did  they  lose  ? What  is 

remarked  of  the  strength  of  the  city  ? How  did  the  Jews  spend 
their  time  ? 

7.  At  what  time  did  Titus  undertake  to  besiege  the  city  ? How  did 

he  begin?  As  he  went  on,  what  did  he  do?  Whom  did  he 
send,  and  for  what  ? How  was  the  city  surrounded  ? What  is 
stated  of  Josephus,  and  what  of  a prophecy  in  the  Bible  ? 

8.  By  what  was  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  foretold  ? What  could 

not  the  Jews  believe — till  what  ? Where  did  they  take  refuge  ? 
What  was  done  by  a Roman  soldier  ? To  revenge  themselves, 
what  did  the  soldiers  do  ? 

9.  What  did  Titus  strive  to  do  ? What  is  remarked  of  a Higher 

Power?  What  sanctuary  was  profaned,  and  how? 

10.  What,  even  in  our  days,  can  we  see  ? 

11.  Whither  did  Titus  return,  and  what  is  still  to  be  seen  ? 

12.  Before  Titus  became  emperor,  what  was  there  reason  to  fear? 

What  is  observed  when  he  came  to  the  throne  ? 

13.  What  is  said  to  have  occurred  one  night  ? 


266 


HISTORY  OF  ROME. 


14.  Who  succeeded  Titus  ? What  is  remarked  of  his  reign  ? 

15.  Recite  the  whole  of  this  section. 

16.  Recite  this  section. 

17.  Who  succeeded  Heliogabalus  ? What  is  stated  of  his  conversion  ? 

When  did  that  event  take  place  ? What  is  stated  of  the  removal 
of  Constantine,  and  of  the  division  of  the  empire  ? 

18.  What  happened  in  the  course  of  five  hundred  years  after  the  birth 

of  our  Lord  ? 

19.  What  is  observed  of  the  Eastern  Empire  ? 

CHAPTER  LV. — 1.  What  may  it  be  useful  to  know?  What  is  said 
of  the  account  now  given  ? 

2.  What  was  a Roman  house  very  unlike,  and  why  ? What  is  said  of 

the  position  of  the  house  ? What  of  the  street-door  and  hall  ? 
What  was  beyond  the  hall  ? What  is  said  of  the  cistern  ? For 
what  was  the  atrium  used  ? What  were  placed  in  it  ? What 
was  considered  sacred,  and  to  what  was  it  dedicated  ? For  what 
did  the  Romans  go  to  great  expense  ? What  are  we  told  of  their 
price  ? 

3.  What  was  there  often  besides  ? 

4.  What  is  said  of  the  bedrooms?  What  of  their  beds?  What  of 

counterpanes  ? What  is  not  known  ? What  is  said  of  the  din- 
ing-room ? What  was  customary  at  table  for  men  ? What  for 
ladies? 

5.  What  is  said  of  the  floors  ? 

6.  What  of  the  windows  ? What  were  they  in  early  times  ? What 

afterwards,  and  in  the  time  of  the  emperors  ? What  must  the 
bedrooms  have  been,  and  why  ? 

7.  How  did  the  Romans  heat  their  houses  ? How  sometimes  ? What 

is  generally  thought  ? How  did  the  smoke  escape? 

8.  What  is  said  of  the  tops  of  the  houses  ? 

9.  What  is  said  of  the  principal  meal  ? What  of  children  and  inva- 

lids? What  of  the  dinners  of  the  Romans?  What  was  first 
done  by  those  assembled  to  enjoy  this  meal,  and  why  ? What 
next  did  they  do  ? With  what  was  each  person  provided  ? Why 
was  that  necessary  ? 

10.  Before  going  to  dinner  what  did  the  Romans  always  do?  What  is 

said  of  public  baths?  To  conciliate  the  people,  what  did  the 
great  men  do  ? What  further  is  observed  in  relation  to  public 
baths  ? 

11.  What  is  observed  in  regard  to  the  Roman  dress?  What  was  the 

toga?  When  a Roman  wished  to  stand  for  any  office,  what  did 
he  do  ? What  was  it  then  called  ? What  is  derived  from  that 
custom  ? What  is  said  of  the  toga  in  mourning,  and  on  occasions 
of  triumph  and  rejoicing  ? What  is  said  of  the  toga  worn  by 
boys  ? When  were  regular  ceremonies  used  ? Who  else  wore 
togas  ? How  long  did  they  wear  it  ? What  did  they  then  put 
on  ? What  was  that  ? What  was  worn  by  both  men  and 
women  ? What  did  they  use  to  protect  them  from  the  cold  ? 

12.  What  is  remarked  of  the  use  of  shoes?  What  was  sometimes 

done  ? What  were  their  shoes  at  other  times? 

13.  With  what  did  the  Romans  write,  and  upon  what  ? 

14.  What  is  said  of  the  public  games  ? 

1:5.  What  is  stated  of  the  persecution  of  the  Christians? 

16.  About  what  do  not  the  Romans  appear  to  have  known  much  ? 
What  is  said  of  their  gardens  ? What  of  the  flowers  with  which 
they  were  acquainted  ? What  must  have  been  the  most  striking 
part  in  a Roman  garden  ? 


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dore Bainbridge,”  etc.  With  io  full-page  Illustrations. 

In  this  graphic  and  spirited  story  Mr.  Barnes  tells  of  Perry’s  adven- 
tures as  a boy  on  the  frigate  General  Greene,  and  conducts  his  hero  through 
the  exciting  scenes  which  attended  the  battle  of  Lake  Erie.  It  is  a story 
which  illustrates  the  resourcefulness,  energy,  and  dauntless  courage  whic.i 
have  characterized  our  naval  heroes  from  Paul  Jones  to  Dewey  and  Hob- 
son. The  book  is  an  important  addition  to  a series  which  is  indispensable 
for  American  y'outh  who  wish  to  know  the  historic  deeds  of  our  n^vy,  ai  d 
at  the  present  time  the  Young  Heroes  of  our  Navy  Series  is  ot  peculiar 
interest  to  older  readers. 


(COMMODORE  BAIN  BRIDGE.  From  the  Gunroom 
^ to  the  Quarter-deck.  By  James  Barnes,  author  of  “ Mid- 
shipman Farragut.”  Illustrated  by  George  Gibbs  and 
Others. 

“ A well-told  story  of  a gallant  captain  of  the  sea.  . . . The  boys  will 
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JWT ID  SHI PM  A N FARR  A GDP.  By  James  Barnes, 

^ author  of  “For  King  or  Country,”  etc.  Illustrated  by 
Carlton  T.  Chapman. 

y We  do  not  know  of  a more  thrilling  book  for  boj's,  or  one  more  inter- 
esting, than  ‘Midshipman  Farragut.'  ” — New  York  Mail  and  Express. 


D 


ECATUR  AND  SOMERS.  By  Molly  Elliot 
Seawell,  author  of  “Paul  Jones,”  “Little  Jarvis,”  etc. 
With  6 full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  O.  Davidson  and 
Others. 


T)A  UL  JONES.  By  Molly  Elliot  Seawell.  With 


8 full-page  Illustrations. 


ATID  SHIPMA  N 

-‘-V-*-  War  of  1812.  By 
page  Illustrations. 


PA  ULDING.  A True  Story  of  the 
Molly  Elliot  Seawell.  With  6 full- 


T ITTLE  JARVIS.  The  story  of  the  heroic  midship- 
man  of  the  frigate  Constellation.  By  Molly  Elliot 
Seawell.  With  6 full-page  Illustrations. 


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<THE  PILOT  OF  THE  MA  Y FLOWER.  By  Heze- 
KIAH  BUTTERWORTH.  Illustrated  by  H.  Winthrop  Peirce 
and  Others. 

Mr.  Buttervvortli  pictures  the  scenes  preceding  the  sailing  of  the  Pil- 
grims and  attending  the  voyage,  and  he  describes  the  early  days  at  Plym- 
outh. All  this  is  done  in  a story  whose  thread  is  maintained  consisien  ly 
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pages  of  our  history,  and  the  vividness  of  his  characterizations  brings  the 
scenes  actually  before  his  readers.  The  book  is  of  great  value  historically, 
and  the  unflagging  interest  of  the  story  adds  another  book  of  peculiar  merit 
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7 ~RUE  TO  HIS  HOME.  A Tale  of  the  Boyhood  of 


1 


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CT~HE  WAMPUM  BELT;  or,  The  Fairest  Page  of 

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n~IIE  KNIGHT  OF  LIBERTY.  A Tale  of  the  For- 
tunes  of  Lafayette.  With  6 full-page  Illustrations. 

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N THE  BOYHOOD  OF  LINCOLN.  A Story  of  the 
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(-THE  BO  VS  OF  GREEN WA  Y COURT.  A Story  of 
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trations. 

<T~ HE  LOG  SCHOOL-HOUSE  ON  THE  COLUM- 
BTA.  With  13  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  Carter  Beard, 
E.  J.  Austen,  and  Others. 


/ 


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TJZITH  THE  BLACK  PRINCE.  A Story  of  Ad- 
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West  Clinedinst. 

This  is  a story  of  adventure  and  of  battle,  but  it  is  also  an  informing 
presentation  of  life  in  England  and  some  phases  of  life  in  France  in  the 
fourteenth  century.  The  hero  is  associated  with  the  Black  Prince  at  Cr6cy 
and  elsewhere.  Mr.  Stoddard  has  done  his  best  work  in  this  story,  and  the 
absorbing  interest  of  his  stirring  historical  romance  will  appeal  to  all  young 
readers. 


6' 


UCCESS  AGAINST  ODDS ; or , IIozv  an  American 
Boy  made  his  Way.  Illustrated  by  B.  West  Clinedinst. 


In  this  spirited  and  interesting  story  Mr.  Stoddard  tells  the  adventures 
of  a plucky  boy  who  fought  his  own  battles,  and  made  his  way  upward 
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self-reliance  capitally  told.  The  seashore  life  is  vividly  described,  and 
there  are  plenty  of  exciting  incidents. 


NT  HE  RED  PATRIOT.  A Story  of  the  American 


1 


Revolution.  Illustrated  by  B.  West  Clinedinst. 


Illustrated 


' ri/E  WINDFALL;  or,  After  the  Flood. 
by  B.  West  Clinedinst. 

N'HRIS,  THE  MODEL-MAILER.  A Story  of  New 
^ York.  With  6 full-page  Illustrations  by  B.  West  Clinedinst. 

N THE  OLD  FRONTIER.  With  io  full-page  Illus- 
trations. 


O 


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1 


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N'ROWDED  OUT  O'  CROFIEID.  The  story  of  a 
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/I LONG  THE  FLORIDA  REEF.  By  Charles  F. 
Holder,  joint  author  of  “Elements  of  Zoology.”  With 


E 


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NGLISHM AN’S  HAVEN.  By  W.  J.  Gordon, 
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IV; 


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E A LL.  A Story  of  Outdoor  Life  and  Adventure 
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Illustrations  by  E.  J.  Austen  and  Others.  i2tno.  Cloth, 
$1.50. 

TNG  TOM  AND  THE  RUNAWAYS.  By  Louis 
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GENERAL  TAYLOR.  By  General  O.  O.  Howard,  U.  S.  A. 
GENERAL  JACKSON.  By  James  1‘arton. 

GENERAL  GREENE.  By  Captain  Francis  V.  Greene,  U.  S A. 
GENERAL  J.  E.  JOHNSTON.  By  Robert  M.  Hughes,  of  Va. 
GENERAL  THOMAS.  By  Henry  Copp£f,  LL.  D. 

GENERAL  SCOTT.  By  General  Marcus  J.  Wright. 

GENERAL  WASHINGTON.  By  General  Bradley  T.  Johnson. 
GENERAL  LEE.  By  General  Fitzhugh  Lee. 

GENERAL  HANCOCK.  By  General  Francis  A.  Walker. 
GENERAL  SHERIDAN.  By  General  Henry  E.  Davies. 
GENERAL  GRANT.  By  General  James  Grant  Wilson. 

These  are  volumes  of  especial  value  and  service  to  school  libraries, 
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The  following  are  in  press  or  in  preparation : 

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General  McClellan.  By  General  Peter  S.  Michie. 

Commodore  Paul  Jones.  By  S.  Nicholson  Kane. 


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HROUGH  MAGIC  GLASSES,  and  Other  Lectures. 
A Sequel  to  “The  Fairy-Land  of  Science.”  Illustrated. 
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Contents. — The  Magician’s  Chamber  by  Moonlight.  Magic  Glasses 
and  How  to  Use  Them,  r airy  Rings  and  How  they  are  Made.  1 he 
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A SHORT  HISTORY  OF  NAT  HR  A I SCIENCE  ; 
EH-  and  of  the  Progress  of  Discovery  frojn  the  Tune  of  the 
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HE  GARDEN'' S STORY;  or,  Pleasures  atid  Trials 
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n~ HE  ORIGIN  OF  CULTIVATED  PLANTS.  By 

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<J~HE  GEOLOGICAL  HISTORY  OF  PLANTS.  By 
Sir  J.  William  Dawson,  F.  R.  S.  Illustrated.  12010. 
Cloth,  Si. 75. 

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AMP-FIRES  OF  A NATURALIST . From  the 
Field  Notes  of  Lewis  Lindsay  Dyche,  A.  M.,  M.  S., 
Professor  of  Zoology  and  Curator  of  Birds  and  Mammals 
in  the  Kansas  State  University.  The  Story  of  Fourteen 
Expeditions  after  North  American  Mammals.  By  Clar- 
ence E.  Edwords.  With  numerous  Illustrations.  i2mo. 
Cloth,  $1.50. 


“ It  is  not  always  that  a professor  of  zoology  is  so  enthusiastic  a sports- 
man as  Professor  Dyche.  His  hunting  exploits  are  as  varied  as  those  of  Gor- 
don Cumming,  for  example,  in  South  Africa.  His  grizzly  bear  is  as  dan- 
gerous as  the  lion,  and  his  mountain  sheep  and  goats  more  difficult  to  stalk 
and  shoot  than  any  creatures  of  the  torrid  zone.  Evidently  he  came  by 
his  tastes  as  a hunter  from  lifelong  experience.”— New  York  Tribune. 

“ The  book  has  no  dull  pages,  and  is  often  excitingly  interesting,  and 
fully  instructive  as  to  the  habits,  haunts,  and  nature  of  wild  beasts.” — 
Chicago  I n ter-  Ocea  n. 

“ The  narrative  is  simple  and  manly  and  full  of  the  freedom  of  forests. 
. . . This  record  of  his  work  ought  to  awaken  the  interest  of  the  genera- 
tions growing  up,  if  only  by  the  contrast  of  his  active  experience  of  the 
resources  of  Nature  and  of  savage  life  with  the  background  of  culture  and 
the  environment  of  educational  advantages  that  are  being  rapidly  formed 
for  the  students  of  the  United  States.  Professor  Dyche  seems,  from  this  ac- 
count of  him,  to  have  thought  no  personal  hardship  or  exertion  wasted  in 
his  attempt  to  collect  facts,  that  the  naturalist  of  the  future  maybe  pro- 
vided with  complete  and  verified  ideas  as  to  species  which  will  soon  be 
extinct.  This  is  good  work — work  that  we  need  and  that  posterity  will 
recognize  with  gratitude.  The  illustrations  of  the  book  are  interesting, 
and  the  type  is  clear.” — New  York  Times. 

“The  adventures  are  simply  told,  but  some  of  them  are  thrilling  of 
necessity,  however  modestly  the  narrator  does  his  work.  Professor  Dyche 
has  had  about  as  many  experiences  in  the  way  of  hunting  for  science  as  fall 
to  the  lot  of  the  most  fortunate,  and  this  recountal  of  them  is  most  interest- 
ing. The  camps  from  which  he  worked  ranged  from  the  Lake  of  the 
Woods  to  Arizona  and  northwest  to  British  Columbia,  and  in  every  region 
he  was  successful  in  securing  rare  specimens  for  his  museum.” — Chicago 
Times. 

“The  literary  construction  is  refreshing.  The  reader  is  carried  into 
the  midst  of  the  very  scenes  of  which  the  author  tells,  not  by  elaborateness 
of  description,  but  by  the  directness  and  vividness  of  every  sentence.  He 
is  given  no  opportunity  to  abandon  the  companions  with  which  the  book 
has  provided  him,  for  incident  is  made  to  follow  incident  with  no  inter- 
vening literary  padding.  In  fact,  the  book  is  all  action.” — Kansas  City 
Journal. 

“ As  an  outdoor  book  ol  camping  and  hunting  this  book  possesses  a 
timely  interest,  but  it  also  has  the  merit  of  scientific  exactness  in  the 
descriptions  of  the  habits,  peculiarities,  and  haunts  of  wild  animals.”— 
Philadelphia  Press. 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY,  NEW  YORK. 


937  S51S 

15315 

Sewell 

Rome 

— '»rr 


937 


3516 


15315 


